My late father worked in the salt industry. There is no cost effective substitute for salt. Sand is used for traction purposes, not to melt ice. There are a

My late father worked in the salt industry. There is no cost effective substitute for salt. Sand is used for traction purposes, not to melt ice. There are a number of chemicals that will melt ice though not as well as salt. But these alternatives are much more expensive, they get talked about a lot but haven't made a dent in salts market share.