North Hempstead Disposal Day is Saturday

Get rid of unwanted items in your garages, basements, attics and medicine chests the earth-friendly way through North Hempstead's upcoming Stop Throwing Out Pollutants (S.T.O.P.) program on Saturday. The event takes place at the at 802 West Shore Road in Port Washington from 9:30 a.m.-3 p.m.

Residents can return items such as aerosols, household chemicals, pesticides, disinfectants, fertilizers, compact fluorescent bulbs, thermostats, rechargeable and lithium batteries only, TVs and computers. As for paints, bring oil-based only. Latex and water-based paints will not be accepted at the S.T.O.P. collection site. Instead, 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.

North Hempstead claims to be the first town in Nassau County to offer a pharmaceutical collection event. In three years, it has diverted over 3 tons of unwanted drugs from landfills and drinking water. More than half of teens who abuse prescription painkillers say they get them for free from the homes of family or friends, or they take them from family or friends without asking. Though the S.T.O.P event, residents can help keep children and the environment safe.

Residents can safely shred and dispose of personal documents, thereby minimizing the opportunity for identity theft, while also protecting the planet. Bring CDs, DVDs, disks, X-rays, coupons, pill bottles and credit cards free of charge. Your documents will be shredded, placed into containers and sent directly to pulping mills across the country. Every 200 pounds of paper the town recycles equates to one tree saved.

Big Brothers Big Sisters will also have a truck at the S.T.O.P. event, accepting gently-used and working clothes, stuffed animals, electronics, toys, sporting equipment, shoes, books, small area rugs, bikes, scooters, luggage, picture frames, table lamps, cloth, bolts of fabric, knickknacks, silverware, glassware, dishes, cosmetics.

For more information, call 311.