North Hempstead, NY – As this is the last opportunity for this year, Town of North Hempstead Supervisor Judi Bosworth and the Town Board urge residents to clean out their garages, basements, attics and medicine chests, and take advantage of the S.T.O.P (Stop Throwing Out Pollutants) program scheduled to take place on Sunday, November 2nd from 9:30 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. at North Hempstead Beach Park North Lot, located at 175 West Shore Road, Port Washington.

“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.”

Residents can return items such as aerosols, household chemicals, pesticides, disinfectants, fertilizers, pharmaceuticals, bulbs, thermostats, rechargeable and lithium batteries, TV’s, and computers. Please bring oil-based paints only. Latex and water-based paints will not be accepted at the S.T.O.P. collection site. Once dried out (usually 24-36 hours after the lid is removed), those paints can be placed in a trash bag and thrown out with your regular household garbage. Oil-based paints, on the other hand, are considered hazardous, and will be accepted at any S.T.O.P. Collection Day program.

The Town of North Hempstead is proud to have been the first town in Nassau County to offer Pharmaceutical Collections, and residents have the opportunity to dispose of their unwanted or unused pharmaceuticals at each S.T.O.P. Event. In 6 years, the Town has diverted over 6 tons of unwanted drugs from landfills and protected our drinking water. In addition to protecting our environment, the program prevents dangerous pharmaceuticals from getting into the wrong hands. By bringing this service to each community, North Hempstead strives to keep its children and environment safe. This service is only open to Town of North Hempstead residents – no doctors’ offices.

During the November 2nd S.T.O.P. event, North Hempstead 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 personal paper documents and credit cards free of charge. Any commercial business documents including home offices will not be accepted. Residents are reminded there is a limit of 6 boxes (Bankers Box-sized) 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.

The Town of North Hempstead is proud to once again partner with Big Brothers Big Sisters to have a truck at the November 2nd 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, please call 311, e-mail recycle@northhempsteadny.gov or download the free mobile app, “My North Hempstead.”

Supervisor Judi Bosworth with Town of North Hempstead Solid Waste Management Authority Commissioner Igor Sikiric at a past S.T.O.P. event.