North Hempstead, NY – Town of North Hempstead Supervisor Judi Bosworth and the Town Board are reminding residents that the final Stop Throwing Out Pollutants (S.T.O.P.) events of 2018 will take place on Saturday, October 20 and Sunday, October 21 from 9 a.m. until 3 p.m. at North Hempstead Beach Park’s north lot.

The S.T.O.P. 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 dispose of items such as aerosols, household chemicals, pesticides, disinfectants, fertilizers, bulbs, thermostats, rechargeable and lithium batteries and TV’s 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 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. program.

“The Town is proud to be able to continue to offer a convenient and environmentally responsible way for our residents to dispose of hazardous and sensitive waste,” said Supervisor Bosworth. “Anyone planning on cleaning out a garage or basement will have several opportunities to bring any hazardous waste to this event for proper disposal.”

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 document shredding company and then 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. For every 2,000 pounds of paper the Town recycles equates to 17 trees saved.

The Town will no longer be accepting pharmaceuticals at the S.T.O.P program. This is due to a change in policy by the Nassau County Police Department. To dispose of unwanted medicines, please drop them off at your local police precinct.

Residents are also reminded to properly dispose of their residential yard waste in either a loose receptacle (up to 32 gallons in size) or in paper lawn and leaf bags. Residents can also bundle and tie brush in bundles no larger than two feet wide by four feet in length.

The S.T.O.P. events 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, and 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, please call 311 or (516) 869-6311 or visit northhempsteadny.gov/stopprogram