For Immediate Release Media Contacts: Collin Nash, Sid Nathan, and Jason Elan
October 19, 2011 (516) 869-7794
TONH’S Final 2011 STOP Event to Collect Harmful Household Products, Pharmaceuticals, E-Waste, and Shred Sensitive Materials
North Hempstead, NY— With the year winding down, Supervisor Jon Kaiman and the North Hempstead Town Board urge residents to take advantage of the upcoming STOP (Stop Throwing Out Pollutants) collection event on Sunday, Nov. 6—the last chance this year to rid attics, garages, basements, medicine cabinets and storage sheds of items that, if improperly dumped, can harm the environment.
Held at the Town’s Solid Waste Management Authority (SWMA) at 802 West Shore Rd. in Port Washington, the final STOP event of 2011 will run from 9:30am to 3:00pm.
“Recognizing the potential dangers posed by the improper disposal of hazardous household products and the myriad of electronic gadgets and gizmos that the typical household collects over time,” Supervisor Kaiman said, “the Town of North Hempstead is committed to giving residents a one-stop location to dispose of hazardous waste in an environmentally-friendly way.”
Previously, the STOP event was limited to the collection of household products such as aerosols, cleaners, pesticides, disinfectants, fertilizers, batteries, and oil-based paints. Over recent years, however, it has been broadened to take in unused and unwanted, over-the-counter and prescription drugs, as well as electronic items such as TVs, computers, printers, and DVDs.
Also, in an effort to help residents protect against identity theft, the program now also collects and shreds free of charge sensitive material including paper documents, CDs, DVD’s, disks, X-rays, pill bottles and credit cards. After shredding, the materials are placed in containers and shipped directly to pulping mills across the country.
The Town of North Hempstead holds the distinction of being the first town in Nassau County to give residents the opportunity to properly dispose of unused and unwanted pharmaceuticals. In the two years since the program was first instituted, more than two tons of drugs and narcotics have been collected and thereby diverted from landfills.
Studies have shown that over time, buried pharmaceuticals can leech into underground aquifers, Long Island’s only source of drinking water. Studies have also shown that flushing or pouring medications down the drain can adversely affect our waterways and aquatic wildlife.
And according to a 2009 survey by the Center for Disease Control and Prevention, prescription drug abuse has climbed to alarming levels with 20% of teen admitting that they have taken prescription or over-the-counter medications of some sort without a doctor’s advice.
At the same time, drug addiction experts contend that abuse of narcotics such as painkillers are a gate to illegal street drugs such as heroin. To illustrate the seriousness of prescription drug abuse, observers point to recent the recent spate of gun-point holdups at area pharmacies, one of which turned deadly when four victims were killed.
Dumping electronics in the municipal waste steam can also be deadly since the toxic materials in them such as lead, mercury and arsenic among other poisons, could seep into Long Island’s drinking water.
The Town of North Hempstead hosts four STOP events a year, two at Tully Park and two at the Solid Waste Management Authority site.
For more information please call 311.