FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: June 13, 2013
MEDIA CONTACTS: Collin Nash, Ryan Mulholland, & Sam Marksheid | (516) 869-7794
Town Continues to Offer Composting & “Recycle the Rain” Programs This Summer
North Hempstead, NY – Supervisor Jon Kaiman and the North Hempstead Town Board would like to remind residents to take advantage of the Town’s successful composting and “Recycle the Rain” classes.
In April 2010, Supervisor Kaiman instituted the first residential composting program in Nassau County. The Town of North Hempstead purchased composters with a retail value of $150 and charged the residents a subsidized fee of $50, including a composting class at Clark Botanic Garden. To date, there are close to 1000 residents signed up from all over the town to learn about composting.
Supervisor Jon Kaiman said, “These programs are so important because they teach us how we can sustain our local environment, even down to our own property, and our own house. It opens up our minds to different ways we can utilize natural resources that are available to us such as rainwater, compost, leaves, paper, and plastics. These are all the things that can be reused, and have a financial and environmental benefit, as well as create a cultural change in how we use and reuse things.”
Composting benefits the environment by helping to keep trash out of landfills and by promoting the return of valuable organic matter to the soil to be used again, leading environmental organizations say.
“By utilizing a composter properly, residents can reduce the need for water, fertilizers and pesticides,” said Councilman Tom Dwyer. “It is an encouraging sign to see so many residents call 311 to find out more about North Hempstead’s Composting Cooperative.”
Residents can save both water and money by participating in the Town’s “Recycle the Rain” initiative. Town residents can purchase 60-gallon rain barrels for a subsidized cost of $50. The rain barrels, which are made from recycled plastic, capture and save rainwater. The average homeowner can save as much as 1,800 gallons during the summer season in New York.
Residents who are interested in participating in either of these initiatives are given an instructional class at the picturesque, 12-acre Clark Botanic Garden, located at 193 I.U. Willets Road in Albertson. Classes are held throughout the summer on weekdays, weeknights and weekends, as needed. To schedule composting or rain barrel classes, please call 311 or e-mail recycle@northhempsteadny.gov. These classes are one half-hour each and can be taken back-to-back.
New composter being used for 2013.