STOP (Stop Throwing Out Pollutants) program: Materials such as pesticides, anti-freeze, furniture polish, paint thinners, and non-latex paints have specific drop off locations and dates throughout the year.

 

Electronic Waste: North Hempstead is the first Town on Long Island to initiate designated E-Waste collection. North Hempstead provides residents with weekly opportunities to dispose of old electronics at the town’s Solid Waste Management Authority’s transfer station.   Supervisor Kaiman has also brought E-Waste to participating school districts for convenient drop-off locations throughout the Town.

The Green Team: A crew of town workers is deployed year-round to the town’s commercial areas where they assist in litter removal and code enforcement. The Green Team also collaborates with the Town’s 311 call center to respond to service requests in a timely manner. The Green Team has collected upwards of 82,000 lbs of garbage.

Operation Clean Sweep: For the sixth year in a row, the Town began the annual Earth Day Celebration with a town-wide spring cleaning.   Staring in mid-April, a fleet of 20 street sweepers rolled out across the town helping to clean dirt, debris, pesticides and other contaminants from aquifers and waterways. Since its inception, the town has collected over 1200 tons of garbage.

 

Community Clean-Ups: Through a series of yearly town-wide Community Clean-ups the Town designates specific areas for the Clean-Ups and supplies materials, such as trash bags, shovels and gloves.   Through these clean-ups the Town has collected over 500 tons of garbage.

Wetland Replanting: The Hempstead Harbor Wetland Restoration Project included shoreline stabilization, debris and fill removal, invasive plant removal and planting with native wetland species.   This kind of wetland restoration achieves many benefits to the ecosystem including cleaning our harbors and bays by filtering pollutants and trapping of sediments, the establishment of avian and aquatic habitats and much more.   Hempstead Harbor Shellfish Reseeding: (pictured at right) Two million baby clams and oysters were seeded in the harbor.

 

Sheets Creek: Supervisor Kaiman embarked on an ambitious clean-up project of Sheets Creek with the goal of returning the creek to its former status as a boating and recreational asset.   Since 2003 alone, the Town has removed over 1000 tons of marine debris from Sheets Creek, including derelict floats, trailers, machinery, and other marine debris.   Hybrid Vehicles: (pictured below) Jon initiated a policy of converting our town fleets to alternative energy vehicles by passing a resolution declaring such and by purchasing approximately 20 hybrid cars, several hybrid/electric buses, and converting all trucks to biofuel where 20% of all fuel is biodiesel fuel.