To display the accomplishments of "3Rs (reduce, reuse and recycle) Center for Waste Prevention," a prototype waste-management program, Cornell University Cooperative Extension of New York City and the Cornell Waste Management Institute will hold a summer fair Thursday, Aug. 19, at the Forest Houses grounds west of 975 Tinton Ave., near the 2001 Omni Community Garden.

The open house is from 1:30 to 4 p.m.

The average New Yorker generates 6.2 pounds of garbage every day, which is 2.1 pounds more than the average United States citizen, according to the New York City Department of Sanitation. Each day, the Bronx spends $90,000 to haul 1,700 tons of garbage out to landfills in Pennsylvania and Virginia. In fact, New Yorkers from all the boroughs create 13,000 tons of garbage daily, enough waste to fill the Empire State Building.

With New York City's last remaining landfill, Fresh Kills on Staten Island, facing closure on Dec. 31, 2001, the city's residents must find ways to reduce, reuse and recycle trash. The Forest Houses pilot program will show some of the many ways the city's residents can help improve this serious trash situation. A materials exchange shop, innovative composting technologies and educational workshops are examples of how Forest Houses residents are reducing waste in their community.

The "3R's Center for Waste Prevention" program is also sponsored by the South East Bronx Neighborhood Center, the New York City Housing Authority and the Forest Houses Tenant Association. The program is partially funded by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (Region 2).