North Hempstead announces S.T.O.P. event in Westbury

The Island Now

Town of North Hempstead Supervisor Judi Bosworth and the Town Board announced a summer 2020 Stop Throwing Out Pollutants (S.T.O.P.) event.

The newly scheduled event will be held on Saturday, July 11 from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. at Westbury High School at 1 Post Road in Old Westbury. The date is subject to change as per New York State guidelines and COVID-19 restrictions.

The S.T.O.P. program offers the Town of North Hempstead residents the opportunity to dispose of dangerous and chemical wastes that cannot be disposed of with routine curbside pickups.

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

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 day. Every 2,000 pounds of paper the Town recycles equates to 17 trees saved.

North Hempstead 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.

“The Town is pleased to be able to continue to offer our S.T.O.P. events to provide a convenient and environmentally responsible way for our residents to dispose of hazardous waste and sensitive documents,” Bosworth said.

Participants must be residents of North Hempstead and show driver’s license or other valid proof of residency.  No commercial vehicles will be allowed. Only potentially hazardous household products and e-waste will be accepted.

For safety reasons, residents also must remain in their vehicle while event staff removes items to be discarded. Please also leave pets at home so staff can safely remove items from your vehicle.

Fall S.T.O.P events will be held at North Hempstead Beach Park on Saturday and Sunday, Oct. 17 and 18 at North Hempstead Beach Park in Port Washington. All S.T.O.P events are from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. For more information on the S.T.O.P. program, please call 311 or (516) 869-6311 or visit northhempsteadny.gov/stopprogram.

Submitted by the Town of North Hempstead 

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