‘Stop Throwing Out Pollutants’: Free, safe disposal of household hazardous wastes,
e-wastes and medications Saturday

Riverhead residents can safely dispose of household hazardous wastes and unwanted prescription medications free of charge Saturday at the Riverhead Highway Department facility on Osborn Avenue.

The town’s semi-annual STOP Day (Stop Throwing Out Pollutants) will take place from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the highway yard, located at 1177 Osborn Avenue, just north of Route 58.

In conjunction with STOP Day, the Riverhead CAP’s Community Coalition for Safe and Drug-Free Youth will hold a ‘Medication Give-Back’ at the same location. This program helps in the proper disposal of medications, which both protects our groundwater and helps protect youth by preventing access to addictive narcotics.

The STOP program allows for the proper disposal of residential household hazardous waste, such as: lead-based paints, stains and varnishes, adhesives, paint thinners, refrigerants, antifreeze, brake and other auto fluids, fluorescent bulbs, batteries, aerosols, kerosene, mercury, photo chemicals, fungicides, herbicides, pesticides, and E-Waste (e.g. computers, printers, cell phones, pagers and VCRs).

“These items not only have a low level of biodegradability, but they contain materials that are highly toxic when released into the environment,” Riverhead Supervisor Sean Walter said. “I encourage all Riverhead Town residents to bring any of their old computers, paint cans, pesticides, household cleaners or any unused or expired medications down to the highway department yard on Saturday.”

For more information on acceptable materials/medications to bring to STOP Day or should you have any other questions regarding these programs, call the Sanitation Department at (631) 727-3200 ext. 391 or Riverhead CAP at (631) 727-3722 ext. 106 for questions regarding the Medication Give-Back program.