Plants to aid your environment

The cotoneaster only traps the pollution in its hairy leaves, it doesn't absorb it or alter it, so when it rains, all that trapped particulate matter will be washed onto the soil below. Unlucky gardener! And who has room for a 2 metre deep hedge in their front garden?

If pollution gets trapped by plants then drops onto the ground to be absorbed by the soil surly that is still better than someone taking it into their lungs, I was just qurious to know what other plants, like the willow, were considered good for the environment, not necessarily good to plant in the garden