If you would like to get a jump on your yard and household cleanups, the Town of Oyster Bay (TOB) has scheduled their first of nine Homeowners Cleanup for April 7. Residents only (no businesses) in the Town's Solids Waste Disposal District may take unwanted rubbish to the Town's Solid Waste Disposal Complex on Bethpage Sweet Hollow Road in Old Bethpage from 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. Bushes, tree limbs, fence posts, used tires, large metal items in excess of four feet, yard waste, clean fill, clean broken cement are some of the items that will be accepted. Passenger cars, vans, SUVs, pick-up trucks and small trailers will be admitted to the facility. Proof of residency must be shown. These cleanup days provide you with an opportunity to get rid of the rubbish right away, without waiting for you next garbage collection day and without you having to worry about cutting the debris up or placing it in smaller bundles. The other dates this year are: April 14, May 5, June 9, July 21, Aug. 11, Sept. 29, Oct. 22 and Nov. 3. For additional information on the Homeowners Cleanup program call the TOB at 677-5943. You should also make special note of the TOB's Stop Throwing Out Pollutants programs (S.T.O.P.). This program allows you to safely dispose of household hazardous and electronic waste. Springtime provides an excellent opportunity to do a walk-through of your home (basement, garage, shed, backyard, under your sinks, etc.) to see if there are any dangerous chemicals or materials. Items that can be brought to S.T.O.P. collections include: most pesticides and insecticides, waste motor oil and antifreeze, brake and transmission fluids, enamel, lead based and latex paints, solvents, drain and oven cleaners, car batteries, small aerosol cans, batteries and outdoor gas grill propane tanks. The next S.T.O.P. collection day is on Saturday, April 21 from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. at John J. Burns Park on Merrick Road in Massapequa. For a complete schedule of the town's collection days you can visit their website at www.oysterbaytown.com. I hope you all will take the time to carefully look at what you have stored in your home and safely dispose of it at one of the town's collection days. You will feel better knowing that your home is safer and that you are helping to protect our groundwater supply.