Politics & Government

S.T.O.P. Event Is Sunday at North Hempstead Beach Park

Rid your home of unwanted items and hazardous waste responsibly at Sunday's event.

North Hempstead residents can dispose of hazardous waste responsibly on Sunday from 9:30 a.m.-3 p.m. at North Hempstead Beach Park at the town's Stop Throwing Out Pollutants (S.T.O.P.) event.

The second S.T.O.P. event this year, the program gives residents the chance to clean out garages, basements, attics and medicine chests, and get rid of unwanted materials in a planet-friendly way.

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“North Hempstead recognizes the potential threats to the environment caused by the improper disposal of household hazardous products,” said Town Supervisor Judi Bosworth.  “To address these concerns, North Hempstead offers residents this environmentally friendly and convenient way to dispose of hazardous waste.”

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Residents can return items such as aerosols, household chemicals, pesticides, disinfectants, fertilizers, bulbs, thermostats, rechargeable and lithium batteries, TV’s, and computers.

As for paints, only the oil-based variety will be accepted. 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 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.

In addition, in partnership with the Nassau County Police Department, the town will be accepting prescription and over-the-counter drugs.  In five years, the town has diverted over five tons of unwanted drugs from landfills and protected drinking water.  In addition, over half of teens who abuse prescription painkillers report they get them for free from the homes of family or friends, or they take them from family or friends without asking.  By bringing this service to each community, North Hempstead officials say they strive to keep its children and environment safe.

During Sunday's S.T.O.P. event, residents can also safely shred and dispose of personal documents, thereby minimizing the opportunity for identity theft, while at the same time making an invaluable contribution to the protection of the environment. Residents are invited to shred any paper documents and credit cards free of charge. There is a limit of six 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 across the country. Every 2,000 pounds of paper the town recycles equates to one tree saved, officials say.

The town is also partnering with Big Brothers Big Sisters to have a truck at Sunday's S.T.O.P. event.  Big Brothers Big Sisters will be accepting 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.

For more information on the S.T.O.P. program, call 311 or email recycle@northhempsteadny.gov.


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