If you take a good hard look at your yard, garage and basement I am confident that you will find household substances that, if discarded improperly, pose a threat to our groundwater and environment. I am also sure that you will find plenty of electronic waste and assorted other debris that has accumulated over the years. It's time to get rid of the old propane tank, the pile of cement and most importantly the unwanted cleaners and chemicals that are just sitting in your home. We all have them. The left over can of paint from when you painted the shed 10 years ago! The coffee can of oil from when you actually did your last oil change. Drain cleaners, pesticides, tires, batteries - the list can go on and on. With all kidding aside, these dangerous items should not be in your home.

The Town of Oyster Bay initiated its S.T.O.P (Stop Throwing Out Pollutants) Program in 1986 as a means of providing Town residents with a safe disposal means for household substances which if discarded improperly pose a threat to the ground water. The next S.T.O.P and Electronic Waste Collection is on August 18th at the Hicksville Fire Department on West John Street in Hicksville. You can bring most pesticides and insecticides, brake and transmission fluids, solvents and many other items. On this day you can also bring your electronic waste. The Electronic Waste Recycling Program allows you to bring computer monitors, hard drives, copiers, fax machines, VCR's and other similar products to the collection point so that their components can be recycled ensuring that they won't end up in the landfill or incinerator.

The TOB on Aug. 11 is also holding its sixth of eight Homeowners Cleanup. On this day TOB residents can 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. You can bring bushes, tree limbs, fence posts and similar items. They do not have to be broken up into smaller pieces. Used tires, large metal items in excess of four feet, yard waste clean fill and clean broken cement will be accepted. Passenger cars, vans, pickup trucks and small trailers are admitted to the program. Six wheel or larger vehicles are not permitted.

Please take the time to walk through your home and yard and remove the dangerous and unnecessary items that have accumulated. Why risk any future accidents when you have the perfect opportunity to remove them from your home and protect our water supply and environment. For more information on the S.T.O.P. program you can call 677-5943 or visit the TOB web site at www.oysterbaytown.