FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: May 23, 2013
MEDIA CONTACTS: Collin Nash, Ryan Mulholland, & Sam Marksheid | (516) 869-7794

North Hempstead, NY – Supervisor Jon Kaiman and the North Hempstead Town Board urge residents, as they wind down spring cleaning, to take advantage of the second Stop Throwing Out Pollutants (S.T.O.P.) event this year by ridding their garages, basements, attics, and medicine chests of hazardous household products and unused pharmaceuticals.

This summer’s second S.T.O.P. program is scheduled to take place on Saturday, June 8th from 9:30am to 3:00pm at North Hempstead Beach Park, located at 175 West Shore Road in Port Washington.

The first program of the year on April 6th at Tully Park was an enormous success. Throughout the day, 976 cars came to the event, which disposed of 9.5 Tons of E-Waste, 1,200 pounds of pharmaceuticals, nearly 6 tons of shredded paper, and more than a ton of clothing and household items. This event collected approximately double the amount of shredded paper and pharmaceuticals of any event that was held last year.

“North Hempstead recognizes the potential dangers of the improper disposal of household hazardous products,” said Supervisor Kaiman. “To address these concerns, North Hempstead offers residents a safe and environmentally friendly way to dispose of household hazardous waste.”

Residents can dispose of items such as aerosols, household chemicals, pesticides, disinfectants, fertilizers, bulbs, thermostats, rechargeable and lithium batteries, TV’s, and computers. Oil-based paints only will be accepted. 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. Unwanted and unused prescription drugs and over-the-counter medicines, which the Town has been committed to keeping out of the municipal waste stream, will also be collected at the S.T.O.P. event.

With the debut of its pharmaceutical collection program three years ago, North Hempstead became the first town in Nassau County to pioneer such an initiative. In the short amount of time since the first S.T.O.P. event, the Town has diverted over 3 tons of unwanted drugs from landfills and drinking water, and just as importantly out of the hands individuals they are not intended for. Experts contend that individuals who abuse prescription drugs often take them from the homes of family or friends. By bringing this service to each community, North Hempstead has been at the forefront of efforts to keep its children and environment safe.

During the June 8th event, 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 paper documents and credit cards free of charge. Please note that no shredding from any resident’s business or home office will be accepted. Documents shredded on site will be placed into containers and sent directly to pulping mills across the country.

The Town of North Hempstead is proud to once again partner with Big Brothers Big Sisters to provide a truck at the June 8th 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.

“We want people to reduce, reuse, and recycle as much as possible,” said Supervisor Kaiman. “Each recycling opportunity offered by the Town brings us closer to our goal of changing the nature of garbage.”

For more information on the S.T.O.P. program, please call 311.


Residents unload their cars at a recent S.T.O.P. event.



Oil-based paint is disposed of at a recent S.T.O.P. event.


Household cleaners that were disposed of at a recent S.T.O.P. event.