The second Stop Throwing Out Pollutants (STOP) program of 2016 will be held on Sunday, May 22, at North Hempstead Beach Park from 9:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. At the STOP event earlier this year, more than 1,300 people attended and more than 2,000 pounds of pharmaceuticals were collected.
The STOP program offers Town of North Hempstead residents the opportunity to dispose of chemical waste that is too dangerous to dispose of with routine curbside pickups. Residents can return items such as aerosols, household chemicals, pesticides, disinfectants, fertilizers, bulbs, thermostats, rechargeable and lithium batteries, TVs and computers. Latex and water-based paints, once dried out (usually 24-36 hours after the lid is removed), can be placed in a trash bag and thrown out with your regular household garbage. Latex- and water-based paints will not be accepted at the STOP collection site. Oil-based paints, on the other hand, are considered hazardous, and will be accepted at any STOP Collection program.
Residents may also bring their sensitive documents to the STOP event for proper shredding and destruction to prevent identity theft. Any documents brought will be shredded on site by a document shredding company and then transported to a pulping mill for recycling. There is a limit of six Bankers Box–size boxes or bags of paper per car, per event. Once the documents are shredded, they will be placed into containers and sent directly to pulping mills. Every 2,000 pounds of paper the town recycles equates to 17 trees saved.
The Town of North Hempstead STOP program will be continuing its partnership with the Nassau County Police Department in its drug take-back program, which was the first program of its kind to be offered in Nassau County. Residents who need to dispose of unused prescription or over-the-counter drugs may bring those pharmaceuticals with them to the program for destruction. Police sources report that half of all teens who abuse prescription painkillers do so with drugs they found in their house. This program will help to keep North Hempstead families safer from drug abuse issues, and keep our waters clean. In addition to protecting our environment by diverting unwanted drugs from landfills and our drinking water, the program prevents dangerous pharmaceuticals from getting into the wrong hands.
The upcoming STOP event will also have a clothing donation area thanks to North Hempstead’s partnership with Big Brothers Big Sisters. Representatives of Big Brothers Big Sisters will be collecting gently used and working clothes, stuffed animals, electronics, toys, sporting equipment, shoes, books, small area rugs, bikes, scooters, luggage, picture frames, table lamps, bolts of fabric, silverware, glassware, dishes and cosmetics. Each resident will receive a receipt for their donation for income tax purposes.
“I am proud that our town is committed to continuing to offer a convenient and environmentally responsible way to dispose of dangerous and harmful waste such as chemicals, electronics, sensitive documents and pharmaceuticals,” said Supervisor Judi Bosworth of the STOP program.
Westbury High School will host a STOP event on June 26, Michael J. Tully Park will host an event on Sept. 17 and North Hempstead Beach Park will host another event on Oct. 30. All collection events begin at 9:30 a.m. and end at 3 p.m. For more information, call 311 or 516-869-6311.
