Bedding Collection Policy

In the past few years, bedbugs have become a national health issue. These unwelcome guests are showing up in homes, hotels, and businesses across the country. They latch onto backpacks, furniture, and most mattresses. Like many other townships, the Town of Hempstead is not immune to this problem. Therefore, in an attempt to do our part to stop the spread of bedbugs, and to protect our personnel and community, the town has issued the following collection practices in Sanitation Districts 3, 4, 5, 6, and 7:

• For purposes of this section, "Bedding" shall mean any mattress or box spring that can be used by any human being for sleeping or reclining purposes.
• Any person disposing of bedding for collection shall enclose such bedding within one bedbug-proof bag. Such bag shall be constructed in such a manner and be of such size as to readily contain the bedding to be disposed of. Such a bag must be securely sealed after the bedding is placed inside. Heavy-duty bags that new mattresses are delivered in may be used. However, the mattress must be completely sealed inside the bag.
• Failure to enclose any bedding placed at the curbside or other designated areas for collection by the department (Special Collection) within a plastic bag pursuant to this section shall be deemed a violation of department regulations and Section 128 of the Town Code.
• The new regulation is very clear; if you are discarding any bedding, mattress, or box spring, it must be in a bedbug-proof encasement bag and completely sealed. These cases may be purchased at local home improvement stores, department stores, and some bedding stores (the cost of cases varies from $3.50 to $8, depending on the size of bedding).

We are asking the public to comply, and if we all do our part, it will make a big difference in how we, as a community, deal with the growing bedbug problem. For more information, please contact Special Pickup.