Success of S.T.O.P. Program Starting To Show

Town of North Hempstead residents came out in bunches to dispose of their waste in an environmentally friendly manner at the Town's most recent Stop Throwing Out Pollutants (S.T.O.P.) program held at the Solid Waste Management Authority (SWMA) in Port Washington.

Local community members got rid of electronic waste, household batteries, hazardous waste such as oil-based paints and pesticides, and a mixture of non-toxic waste.

"All hazardous materials are destroyed, but non-toxics, such as computers and cell phones are recycled," North Hempstead SWMA Commissioner Igor Sikiric said. "Some of these materials, such as aerosols, go to out-of-state landfills. The SWMA has a contract with Radiac Environmental Services, a Brooklyn based company, to haul hazardous and non-hazardous materials away from our sites."

Sikiric added that latex paints, which are not deemed as hazardous materials because they can be disposed of in a person's regular garbage, were turned away, but oil-based paints were accepted at the drop off program due to their toxicity. He also explained that many people do not realize that ordinary household products, such as aerosols and cleaners, can be corrosive, explosive, or toxic if mixed indiscriminately with regular household garbage.

Flower Hill resident Anthony Aiuto dropped off light bulbs, printers, a toaster and a metal detector at the recent S.T.O.P. program. "I think this is a wonderful program because it keeps pollutants from entering the environment," Aiuto said. "This is being environmentally responsible."

Ray Corio of Manhasset, who dropped off 30 aerosol cans along with some e-waste, said he felt he was doing his part to be environmentally friendly. "I am glad to see that North Hempstead has a program like this and I hope it expands to other parts of Long Island," Corio said.

In addition, North Hempstead's Pharmaceutical Disposal Program, which was held simultaneously with the S.T.O.P. program, not only netted more prescription and over the counter medicines than previous events but brought in what law enforcement officials termed a "staggering" amount of narcotics. Compared to the 10 pounds of narcotics collected during the event held the same time last year, this June's event reaped a stunning 150 pounds of narcotics, pain-reliever medications, including Vicodin, Percocet and Oxycodone.

Since the joint program started last June, approximately 2,460 pounds of over-the-counter and prescription pharmaceuticals and medications have been collected, according to Frances B. Reid, director of environmental planning for the town. The most recent pharmaceutical take back netted 460 pounds of pharmaceuticals compared to approximately 400 pounds at last June's program.

"It is important for people to drop off these pharmaceuticals to prevent family members and pets from access to these drugs," Reid said. "It also prevents contamination of our waterways."

While Town of North Hempstead Supervisor Jon Kaiman was out of town and could not attend this S.T.O.P. event, he released a statement specifically pointing out the importance of properly disposing of household hazardous waste.

"The growing success of our pharmaceutical take-back program not only underscores the critical need for such an effort, but speaks volumes about the troublesome quantity of potentially dangerous drugs that might otherwise be left in households or improperly discarded, posing a threat to the safety of our environment and our children," Kaiman said. "We are proud to be at the forefront of this vital program in Nassau County."

The next S.T.O.P. Program will take place on Sept. 25 at Michael J. Tully Park in New Hyde Park and then again on Nov. 7 at Solid Waste Management Authority in Port Washington. For more information about the program, call 311 or visit www.northhempsteadny.gov.