Media Release

ALACHUA COUNTY, FL - The Alachua County Environmental Protection Department’s 21st Annual Recycled Latex Paint Giveaway is on Saturday, May 2, 2015, beginning at 8 a.m., at the Alachua County Hazardous Waste Collection Center, which is located at the Leveda Brown Environmental Park and Transfer Station (5125 NE 63rd Avenue, Gainesville, 2 miles north of 39th Avenue, off Waldo Road). The Hazardous Waste Collection Center offers free recycled paint to all Alachua County residents on a first-come, first-serve basis with a 10-gallon limit per household.  Paint will be available in five-gallon pails in the following colors: white, beige, gray, terra cotta, green, and blue.

Recycled latex paint is distributed as part of the Hazardous Waste Collection Center’s Reuse/Recycle Program. Paint is collected from residents throughout the year, and is then shipped to Scott Paint in Sarasota, where the latex paint is sorted by color, blended and then pigments are added to create five-gallon buckets of recycled paint.

Using this recycling method, approximately 3,600 gallons of 75% post-consumer recycled latex paint is made available free of charge to County residents with special emphasis on community organizations and residents with special needs. During the past 12 months, some non-profits benefitting from this Reuse-Recycle Program include: Sisters Helping Sisters in Need, Christians Concerned for the Community, SAFE ID4Families, United Way of North Central Florida, and Vets for Vets.

“Our goal is to connect resources and volunteers with our partner agencies and other non-profits in need of assistance,” says Dana Clayton, Vice President of Resource Development for the United Way of North Central Florida. “We were able to help the Southwest Advocacy Group (SWAG) connect with the Hazardous Waste Collection Center’s Reuse/Recycle Program to secure enough paint to revamp its Family Resource Center.”

Residents unable to attend the event can pick up non-recycled free paint of varying quality and quantity at the Alachua County Hazardous Waste Collection Center’s Recycle/Reuse Area. Residents can pick up this paint and other household products during normal business hours: Monday through Friday from 7 a.m. until 5 p.m., and Saturday from 8 a.m. until noon.

For more information, visit the Hazardous Waste Collection Center’s website or call 352-334-0440.