Town of North Hempstead residents can do their part in helping the environment by disposing of their harmful household waste at the third Stop Throwing Out Pollutants (S.T.O.P.) event. The program will be held Sunday, June 26, at Westbury High School from 9:30 a.m. until 3 p.m. The first S.T.O.P. event of the year had more than 1,300 attendees and collected more than 2,000 pounds of pharmaceuticals.
The S.T.O.P. program offers Town of North Hempstead residents the opportunity to dispose of hazardous and 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, televisions 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 regular household garbage. Latex and water-based paints will not be accepted at the S.T.O.P. collection site. Oil-based paints, on the other hand, are considered hazardous, and will be accepted at any S.T.O.P. Collection Day program.
Residents may also bring their sensitive documents to the S.T.O.P. event for proper shredding and destruction to prevent identity theft. Any documents brought will be shredded on site by a shredding company and transported to a pulping mill for recycling.
There is a limit of six “bankers box”-sized 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’s S.T.O.P. 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 painkiller do so with drugs they found in their home. This program will help to keep North Hempstead families safer from drug abuse issues and keep the town’s waters clean. In addition to protecting the environment by diverting unwanted drugs from landfills and drinking water, the program prevents dangerous pharmaceuticals from getting into the wrong hands.
The upcoming S.T.O.P. event will also have a clothing donation area thanks to North Hempstead’s partnership with the organization 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, and pharmaceuticals,” said Town of North Hempstead Supervisor Judi Bosworth about the S.T.O.P. program.
For more information on the S.T.O.P. program, call 311.
