Recycling is the law for residents, businesses and schools alike in Westchester County. Larger businesses, schools and institutions are also required to file a solid waste disposal and recycling plan with the county every three years.

A new law will help educate consumers and landscapers in Westchester about the dangers of phosphorous-containing lawn fertilizers. Some limitations are already in place and restrictions on the sale and application of such fertilizers go into effect in 2011.

County Executive Andy Spano announced this year the first of a series of major initiatives to assist local governments to finance projects to prevent the kind of devastating floods that hit the county in the spring of  2007.

County government has many programs, including those that focus on recycling, global warming and land preservation. We continually build on what we have and then take it further. The list of items to be recycled now includes plastic bags and expired medications.

This year, we're also expanding our efforts to recycle used vegetable oil into biodiesel. We're offering free pick-up service from county food establishments to collect their used vegetable oil. We'll then process it into biodiesel for county vehicles and the Veggie Van -- our "mobile classroom" van retrofitted to run on vegetable oil that makes promotional appearances at schools.

The county continues to buy hybrid cars, as well buses that run on ultra low-sulfur fuels. We provide financial incentives for septic system owners to properly maintain their septic systems and protect the environment. We buy cleaning supplies that don't hurt the environment and promote pest-management methods that do no rely on pesticides. We protect open space and have enacted laws to get contaminants such as mercury out of our water. And we adhere to high environmental standards at our airport, which is one of only a few in the nation where the management system has achieved ISO 14001 certification

Our Hilltop Hanover Farm is an environmental center and runs a variety of programs that are open to the public.

Our goal is to be innovative, to take small and large steps to make a difference.