Over the past several years we have made great strides here in the Town of Hempstead in the steps we have taken and the effort we have made in caring for and preserving our environment. One of the main objectives of my administration is to see to it that we put forth a consistent environmental effort that will help preserve our natural resources for generations to come. The town's extremely popular and environmentally sound STOP (Stop Throwing Out Pollutants) Program is in full swing, with a day each month devoted to the proper disposal of hazardous household waste. Thanks to this terrific and innovative program, it is now possible to properly dispose of many common household waste products by simply bringing them to a STOP Program disposal site.

There are many items found around the house that should not be thrown out with the regular garbage. These items include bleach, ammonia, anti-freeze, pesticides (including Weed-B-Gone or Silvex 2, 4, 5T), cleaning solvents, disinfectants, drain cleaners, oven cleaners, paint and paint thinners, photography and swimming pool chemicals, spot removers and small propane tanks.

The schedule of STOP Program disposal days is complete for the rest of 2001, with the next STOP day scheduled for Saturday, March 10 at Eisenhower Park, Field #3, located between Hempstead Turnpike and Merrick Avenue in East Meadow. All program hours are from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Other dates and locations follow:

Long Beach: Sunday, April 22 on Pine Street off National Boulevard.

South Bellmore: Sunday, May 20 and Saturday, Sep. 15 at the Newbridge Road Park garage, 2600 Newbridge Road.

Bay Park-East Rockaway: Saturday, June 9 in Bay Park, 1st Avenue.

Levittown: Saturday, July 14 at Market Lane Park garage.

Uniondale: Sunday, Aug. 12 at the Greenfield Cemetery garage, 650 Nassau Road. Use Milburn Avenue entrance.

Franklin Square: Saturday, Oct. 13 at Rath Park, 849 Fenworth Blvd.

Baldwin: Sunday, Nov. 18 at Baldwin Park garage, 3232 South Grand Avenue.

East Meadow: Sunday, Dec. 2 at Eisenhower Park, Field #3, between Hempstead Turnpike and Merrick Avenue.

On behalf of all the members of the Hempstead Town Board, I urge you to Stop Throwing Out Pollutants. The town's STOP Program provides residents with an opportunity to assume an active role in preserving our environment.

For more information or to obtain written material on the Town of Hempstead's STOP Program, call the Recycling section of the Department of Sanitation at 378-2200.