Meghan Hodges
In RimWorld, pollution is a byproduct of recharging friendly mechanoids, and it can have negative consequences for your colony. Pollution can lead to acidic smog, which reduces light levels, slows plant growth, and deteriorates items. Players have several options for dealing with pollution, including manual cleaning, which can be slow and time-consuming and may make colonists sick, or using buildings and pollution pumps to turn polluted tiles into clean ones, which creates toxic waste packs that must be dealt with. Alternatively, Polux trees can be used to absorb pollution without creating waste packs, but they only grow in polluted areas and seeds are hard to come by. Face masks, gas masks, and certain apparel items can also provide protection against pollution.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| How to clean pollution | Use a pollution pump |
| Order colonists to clean it up (but this will make them sick over time without a clean space to recover) | |
| Use buildings that turn polluted tiles back into clean ones (but this creates toxic waste packs) | |
| Use a wastepack atomizer | |
| Use Polux trees (these consume pollution without creating toxic waste packs) | |
| Face masks, gas masks, and the Prestige robe give Toxic Environment Resistance |
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What You'll Learn
Manually cleaning pollution
Another option for manual cleaning is to use a Cleansweeper, which can be more efficient than using colonists. However, it is still a slow process compared to other methods.
It is important to note that manually cleaning pollution, whether by colonists or Cleansweepers, will result in the creation of toxic waste packs. These waste packs need to be dealt with properly, or they will melt and release the pollution back into the ground. One way to manage waste packs is to use a wastepack atomizer, which is unique in that it does not create pollution when destroying waste packs. Alternatively, you can load them into a caravan and dump them off your map, but this will lower your reputation with nearby factions.
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Using pollution pumps
Pollution pumps are a great way to clean up pollution in RimWorld, especially when dealing with polluted map tiles. They are a building added by the Biotech DLC and require research into electricity to be constructed. Each pump requires 75 steel, 1 component, 4000 ticks (1.11 minutes) of work, and a construction skill of 3.
When powered, pollution pumps automatically clear pollution in a radius of 10.9 tiles around themselves, turning it into toxic wastepacks. They consume 200 W of power and remove 1 tile of pollution every 15,000 ticks (4.17 minutes) or 4 tiles per game day. Once 6 tiles of pollution are removed, a wastepack is created, resulting in one wastepack every 1.5 days if sufficient pollution is present.
The wastepacks must be managed properly, or they will dissolve back into pollution. This can be done by storing them for the long term, although some players find this more trouble than it's worth. Another option is to use a late-game tech machine that safely destroys the wastepacks. Alternatively, you can caravan or launch them onto the world map, but this will cause a reputation hit with surrounding factions.
While pollution pumps are effective, they do not reduce the total amount of pollution and simply convert it into wastepacks that need to be dealt with. Additionally, the process is slow, and the wastepacks can create a major management challenge at any stage of the game.
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Planting Polux trees
Polux trees are an effective way to combat pollution in Rimworld. These trees have evolved to metabolize pollutants, slowly cleaning polluted terrain through their wide root networks. Unlike other methods of cleaning, they do not create toxic wastepacks, making them a safer option. Polux trees grow within polluted environments and can be spawned by the "polux tree" event. They can also be planted on polluted ground if you acquire the seeds, which can be purchased from traders or obtained as quest rewards.
When planting Polux trees, there are a few things to keep in mind. Firstly, they require sufficient space to work effectively. Each tree has a highlighted area around it, indicating the space it needs to be away from structures. This area is also believed to be the extent of the tree's cleaning ability, so planting other Polux trees within this radius may not increase the overall cleaning capacity. While natural obstructions like mountains do not hinder their cleaning ability, buildings constructed over their roots will prevent them from functioning. Therefore, it is crucial to ensure that you leave enough space for the trees to grow and operate without obstruction.
To utilize Polux trees for pollution control, you can plant them near toxic wastepacks and leave the wastepacks in a stockpile zone next to the tree. Wastepacks outdoors will naturally deteriorate into pollution, which the Polux trees will then absorb and clean. Each Polux tree can clean 2.4 tiles per day, so it is important to ensure you have enough trees to handle the amount of pollution present. Additionally, environmental factors such as rain or cold temperatures can impact the deterioration rate of wastepacks, affecting the overall pollution levels.
Polux trees are a valuable tool in managing pollution in Rimworld. By planting them strategically and providing the necessary space, you can harness their ability to metabolize pollutants and effectively reduce pollution without generating additional wastepacks. However, it is important to remember that they may not be a quick solution, as they work at a slower pace compared to other methods.
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Face masks, gas masks, and the Prestige robe
Face masks can be crafted from simple cloth and offer 40-50% protection against pollution. They are useful in casual settings as they do not block helmets, but they only cover the jaw, a non-vital body part. Face masks are also useful against toxic fallout, and for fighting manhunter packs and waster pirates.
Gas masks offer 80% Toxic Environment Resistance, equating to 20% effectiveness of toxins, tox gas, toxic fallout, rot stink, and pollution. They can be crafted at a machining table and require 20 steel, 20 chemfuel, and approximately 6,000 ticks (1.67 minutes) of work. Gas masks do not protect the skin from exposure to pollution and do not prevent toxic buildup from certain attacks or diseases.
The Prestige robe offers 20% Toxic Environment Resistance. While it is not as effective as the gas mask, the robe may offer more coverage and protection for the skin, which the gas mask does not.
In addition to these protective apparel items, there are other ways to combat pollution in RimWorld. You can use pollution pumps, which require 200W of power and clean a spot of pollution every 12 hours, or you can use Polux trees, which consume pollution. However, Polux tree seeds are difficult to come by, and the trees only grow in sufficiently polluted areas. You can also have colonists manually clean pollution, but this will expose them to toxic buildup, and they will get sick over time without a clean space to recover.
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Toxic wastepack disposal
Toxic wastepacks are a byproduct of cleaning up pollution in Rimworld. They can also be dropped into your colony as part of a quest. Each wastepack that is destroyed or disintegrates creates 6 tiles of pollution, except for when they are destroyed by a wastepack atomizer.
There are several methods for disposing of toxic wastepacks. One way is to load them into a caravan and dump them off the map. This will lower the goodwill of any factions within 10 tiles of the dumping site. Another method is to put them in transport pods and launch them towards your enemies. This will pollute the map space you dump them on, which may anger other settlements in the vicinity.
You can also dispose of wastepacks by using death acidifiers or subcore ripscanners. Death acidifiers delete wastepacks carried on a pawn with the implant on death, while subcore ripscanners lock wastepacks carried on a pawn on death, allowing the pawn's corpse to be destroyed along with the wastepacks. Polluting the undercave is another option, as it does not pollute your colony and the tiles will cease to exist once the associated pit gate collapses.
Additionally, you can use a freezer to store your wastepacks, giving you more time to develop a waste disposal plan. However, it is important to note that wastepacks will slowly dissolve if not frozen, so this is not a permanent solution.
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Frequently asked questions
There are a few ways to clean pollution in Rimworld. You can use a pollution pump, which requires power, or order colonists to clean it up manually. However, the latter option will expose them to toxic buildup and they will get sick over time without a clean space to recover. You can also use buildings to turn polluted tiles back into clean ones, but this creates toxic waste packs which will need to be dealt with.
You can reduce your pollution output by settling away from polluted map tiles. You can also use sun lamp greenhouses and non-solar energy to mitigate acidic smog.
Toxic waste packs are created when you clean pollution in Rimworld. You can deal with them by using a wastepack atomizer, or by loading them into a caravan and dumping them off your map.
