Every day, Second Use receives calls from people looking to donate their perfectly good paint for reuse, instead of drying it out and throwing it away. Unfortunately, we don’t have the capacity to collect and process paint the same way we do with salvaged cabinets, doors and windows.

However, because it’s something that customers obviously value, we’re teaming up with the wonderful team at Novo Painting, and we’re taking on a paint collection event! It is one day only. Visit Second Use from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Sunday, May 12, and you will have an outlet to repurpose your paint. Please read all the requirements below before bringing your paint to Second Use.

  1. This is not a free drop-off. Customers must pay $1 to donate each quarter-gallon of paint, $2 to donate each single gallon of paint, and $5 to donate each five-gallon bucket of paint. Please understand that this fee will only go toward repurposing the paint. Second Use will not profit from money. For a longer explanation about this, click here.
  2. The paint must be latex.
  3. The paint must be usable, ie not dried out. Second Use reserves the right to turn away paint that is not in good condition.
  4. Customers may drop off paint from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Sunday, May 12. There are no exceptions to this time slot. This is a one-time event, and we have no definite plans to repeat this event in the future.
  5. If you haven’t been to Second Use in the last six months, please note that we are in anew location.

After the paint collection, Second Use and Novo Painting will divide the paint among a few graffiti-removal groups and art programs. The remaining paint will go to MetroPaint in Portland, where paint reps will process the paint and package it for reuse. Rest assure that your paint will go to a good cause, and it will not go uselessly to the landfill.

Speaking of good causes, we are still looking for more community groups that may want to reuse the paint we collect. If you have a group that could use a lot of paint, let us know! The requirements are as follows:

  1. You must be part of a community group. This can be a school, theater, church, nonprofit, graffiti-removal program, art coalition, etc. For now, the paint is not available to individuals who want to paint their homes.
  2.  You must be able to take a substantial amount of paint—10 cans or more. We will give priority to the groups that need the largest amount of paint.
  3. You must be willing to take the paint as is. We will check the paint for quality as it arrives during the paint collection, but we will not reopen every can of paint before your group picks it up. This would add a huge amount of labor to our efforts.

For more information about receiving paint for your community group, or if you have questions about donating your paint on May 12, please contact Elena Velkov at 206-763-6929 x110 or [email protected]. Thanks in advance for your interest in keeping reusable materials from the landfill!

Posted 4/15/2013