Two Minneapolis neighborhoods are teaming up to reduce the amount of salt that makes it into our waters this winter with the help of free bags of an alternative option.

If you live in either the East Isles or Wedge neighborhoods of the City of Lakes, you have until the end of next week to claim your free bag of ‘traction grit’ – that is essentially a bag of small sharp rocks that break down and help with traction on icy walkways.

The freebies are thanks to a grant from the Mississippi Watershed Management Organization.

“We’re not the city of polluted lakes, we’re the City of Lakes,” Henry LaBounta of the East Isles neighborhood said.

LaBounta is helping spread the word about the traction grit. He says bags are limited and people need to register for one.

“Where do the storm drains go? They don’t go to the sewer. They go to the lakes and rivers and all that stuff yields dying lakes,” LaBounta said about the salt and other litter that gets into the storm drains.

For those who don’t live in those neighborhoods, a bag of traction grit is cheaper than $10 at most hardware stores.

This effort coincides with the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency’s (MPCA) annual message to use de-icing salt correctly, as only a teaspoon forever pollutes five gallons of lake water.

One tip they offer is using the correct amount — according to the MPCA, a coffee mug full, or about 12 ounces, is enough to cover about a 20-foot driveway.