
In the city-building game Cities: Skylines, pollution is an inevitable eyesore that causes health issues for citizens and reduces property values. While it is impossible to completely avoid pollution without using DLC buildings or mods, there are strategies to minimize it. This includes managing pollution sources, such as factories, power plants, and garbage dumps, as well as implementing policies like combustion engine bans and heavy traffic restrictions. Players can also utilize the Eden Project monument to contain pollution and invest in sewage upgrades and water treatment plants to mitigate water pollution. Additionally, spreading out industry and achieving high education levels can lead to high-tech industries with minimal pollution. Ultimately, reducing pollution in Cities: Skylines requires careful planning and strategic decision-making.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Causes of pollution | Factories, power plants, incinerators, garbage dumps, industry, traffic, and specific power plants |
| Effect of pollution | Reduced property values, health problems, and death |
| Ways to reduce air pollution | Switching to electric buses, implementing district policies such as combustion engine bans, heavy traffic bans, and speed bumps, considering wind direction |
| Ways to reduce ground pollution | Placing water pumping stations upstream, investing in sewage upgrades, placing sewage downstream, avoiding industrial zones, using mods or DLC buildings, switching industrial areas to farming or forestry |
| Ways to reduce noise pollution | Keeping noise away from residential zones, implementing district policies such as combustion engine bans |
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What You'll Learn

Place polluting buildings away from residential areas
In Cities: Skylines, pollution is an inevitable part of building your city. While it is impossible to completely avoid pollution, there are strategies you can employ to minimize its impact, especially on residential areas. One key strategy is to place polluting buildings, such as factories, power plants, incinerators, and garbage dumps, away from residential zones. This spatial separation will help protect your citizens' health and happiness.
When planning your city layout, it is crucial to consider the wind direction. Pollution spreads in the direction of the wind, so ensure that your polluting buildings are upwind of your residential areas. This will help prevent pollution from blowing directly into the places where your citizens live. Additionally, try to maintain a fair distance between polluting buildings and residential zones to create a buffer zone that dilutes the concentration of pollutants reaching these areas.
Specializing your industrial zones in farming and forestry is another effective way to reduce pollution. These industries are known to have a lower environmental impact, and by focusing on them, you can meet the demand for industry while minimizing pollution output. Additionally, as your city's education level increases, industries will be more likely to grow into high-tech sectors, which produce significantly less pollution.
It is also important to carefully manage your water resources to prevent water pollution from affecting your citizens. Ensure that sewage is directed downstream and away from water pumping stations. Utilize water drain pipes to discharge wastewater into rivers, and consider investing in water treatment plants to reduce pollution levels in the water.
While it is challenging to eliminate pollution entirely, implementing these strategies can significantly reduce its impact on residential areas. Remember that the placement of polluting buildings and consideration of wind direction are critical factors in keeping your citizens healthy and happy in Cities: Skylines.
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Use mods to remove pollution
While it is impossible to get rid of pollution in Cities: Skylines completely without the use of mods, there are some workarounds that can help reduce pollution. One way is to keep the pollution in another city by importing goods instead of producing them in your city. Another way is to spread out your industry as ground pollution seems to be less prevalent when industrial zones are surrounded by other types of zones. Additionally, if your education level is high enough for industries to grow into high tech, you can place small industrial zones all around your city as long as you leave enough space between them. This will result in almost no pollution.
However, if you want to completely remove pollution from your city, mods are the way to go. One such mod is the Pollution Remover mod, which allows you to disable all kinds of pollution, including ground, water, and noise pollution. Another mod that can help is the Pollution Solution mod, which can be found on the Steam Workshop. This mod gives you access to settings that can be toggled while your city is running, allowing you to control pollution levels.
It's important to note that while mods can be a fun way to enhance your gameplay, they may not always be compatible with each other or the base game. It's a good idea to test mods individually and check for any issues before combining them. Additionally, some mods may provide an unfair advantage over others in a multiplayer setting, so it's important to discuss and agree upon the use of mods with all players before implementing them.
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Use the Eden Project monument to stop pollution spreading
While it is not possible to completely eliminate pollution in Cities: Skylines without using mods, there are some strategies you can employ to mitigate and manage pollution levels in your city. One effective way to stop pollution from spreading is by constructing the Eden Project monument.
The Eden Project is a unique monument that can be built in your city once you have reached the Megalopolis milestone and constructed all the required unique buildings. It is a massive glass structure that houses a lush garden filled with exotic plants and fruits. Beyond its aesthetic appeal, the Eden Project offers significant benefits to your city.
One of its key advantages is its ability to contain and prevent the spread of pollution. While industries will still generate ground pollution, the Eden Project keeps it contained within the buildings, preventing it from affecting neighbouring areas. This feature ensures that pollution from factories, power plants, incinerators, and garbage dumps does not spread throughout your city.
Additionally, the Eden Project increases the land value of your entire city, causing all buildings to reach their highest level within a short period. This can lead to a population boom, so careful planning is necessary to manage the growth sustainably. It is important to note that while the Eden Project mitigates future pollution, existing pollution will only slowly dissipate over time.
It is worth mentioning that the Eden Project may not be ideal for tourist cities, as it can cause a drop in low-income tourists by increasing land value across the city. This sudden increase in land value can make your city too expensive for low-income visitors, leading to a decline in tourism. Therefore, it is essential to consider the potential impact on your tourism industry before constructing the Eden Project.
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Import goods to keep pollution in another city
While it is not possible to completely eliminate pollution in Cities: Skylines, there are several strategies you can employ to manage and reduce it. One approach is to separate industrial areas from residential and commercial zones, keeping pollution sources away from populated areas. Additionally, you can utilise the Eden Project monument to contain pollution within the industrial zone and prevent it from spreading to neighbouring buildings.
Now, to address your specific request of "Import goods to keep pollution in another city". In Cities: Skylines, you can manage pollution levels by strategically importing goods and keeping the pollution-causing industries in another city. Here are some detailed instructions on how to do this:
- Understand the Supply Chain: The supply chain in Cities: Skylines involves the production, processing, and selling of various forms of "stuff", including oil products, ore products, forestry products, agricultural products, and goods. Identify which of these products are causing the most pollution when produced within your city.
- Identify Excesses and Shortfalls: Determine if there are any excesses or shortfalls in your city's supply chain. If there is a shortfall of a particular product that needs to be imported, you can choose to import it instead of producing it locally, thus keeping the pollution associated with its production in another city.
- Utilise Import Mechanisms: There are several ways to import goods into your city: by road, rail, ship, or cargo plane. Choose the most efficient and cost-effective method for your city. For example, if you have established railways, you can utilise cargo trains to import goods, reducing the number of vehicles on the road.
- Manage Deficits and Surpluses: Efficiently managing imports and exports is crucial for your city's economy. By importing goods to address deficits, you can ensure your city has the necessary resources while keeping pollution-causing industries elsewhere.
- Apply City Planning Policies: Certain city planning policies, such as "Small Business Enthusiast" and "Big Business Benefactor", can impact the balance of demand between industrial and commercial zones. These policies can increase sales for commercial buildings, allowing you to import goods to meet the demand while keeping pollution levels in check.
- Consider the Environmental Impact: While importing goods can help keep pollution in another city, be mindful of the environmental impact of transportation. Choose transportation methods that minimise pollution, such as cargo trains or ships, and avoid clogging the roads with trucks.
By following these steps, you can effectively utilise the import of goods to manage pollution levels in your city while keeping the pollution-causing industries in another location. Remember that balancing imports and exports is a crucial strategy for both the economic and environmental well-being of your city in Cities: Skylines.
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Use water pumps and water treatment plants to reduce water pollution
While it is impossible to completely eliminate pollution in Cities: Skylines without using mods, there are a few strategies you can employ to reduce water pollution in your city. One effective approach is to utilise water pumps and water treatment plants strategically. Here are some detailed instructions on how to use these tools to mitigate water pollution:
Water Pumps:
Water pumps play a crucial role in extracting and distributing water throughout your city. When placing water pumps, ensure they are positioned to intake freshwater from natural bodies of water, as contaminated water can adversely affect your citizens' health. Avoid connecting the water pumps directly to the city's water grid; instead, create a separate loop or circle to facilitate the pumping process. This measure will help prevent the circulation of polluted water.
Water Treatment Plants:
Water treatment plants are specifically designed to minimise pollution in the water supply. The Green Cities DLC offers eco water treatment plants that significantly reduce pollution output. Additionally, the Sunset Harbor DLC introduces inland treatment plants that can effectively manage water pollution. By strategically placing these treatment plants near your water pumps, you can ensure that the water being pumped into your city is cleaner and safer for your citizens.
Closed-Loop Drainage System:
Consider implementing a closed-loop drainage system to purify water before it is discharged. This system treats the water two or three times, making the pollution practically non-existent. Combine this approach with waste pumps to further enhance the water quality. The Floating Gardens feature in the Green DLC is another useful tool for cleaning water pollution.
Terraforming:
In some cases, terraforming can be employed to create land barriers between sewage pumps and the areas you want to protect from pollution. However, be cautious as sewage can sometimes creep around these barriers, rendering them ineffective.
By utilising water pumps, water treatment plants, closed-loop drainage systems, and strategic terraforming, you can effectively reduce water pollution in Cities: Skylines. Remember that while these strategies help, they may not eliminate pollution entirely, and it is essential to be mindful of the placement and management of pollution-causing industries and infrastructure.
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Frequently asked questions
There is no quick solution to removing ground pollution in Cities: Skylines. The only way to remove it is to wait for it to disappear over time after the source of the pollution has been removed.
The source of pollution in Cities: Skylines is mostly industry, power plants, and garbage management facilities. To remove the source of pollution, you can switch to using electric buses, implement district policies such as combustion engine bans, heavy traffic bans, and speed bumps, and place sewage and water pumping stations strategically.
To prevent pollution, you can keep your industrial zones away from residential and water areas, switch all industrial areas to farming and forestry, and keep your city educated to generate better waste management and less garbage.
To reduce air pollution, consider the wind direction, which can be viewed via the Air Pollution Info View, and implement district policies such as combustion engine bans, heavy traffic bans, and speed bumps.
To reduce noise pollution, keep it away from residential zones.








































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