Before you pitch that paint, wait.
Next month, for the third year in a row, Habitat for Humanity's ReStore will host a latex paint drive. Collected paint will be remixed and sold to support Habitat for Humanity's efforts in the community.
"It's a really great program and it's a really great way to get rid of that paint that everyone has lying around the house and no one knows what to do with," said Courtney Crabtree, donations and community center manager for the store, located at 301 Piedmont Road in Charleston.
ReStore accepts latex paint all year, but donations typically decrease in the winter, she said. The recycled paint is mixed into new colors and shades and sold for $10 a gallon, Crabtree said. It's become a very popular feature at the store, she said.
"The paint has become an essential part [of ReStore]," Crabtree said. "People expect it, and we are constantly trying to keep up with it. Constantly."
Last year the paint drive brought in more than 10,000 pounds of paint, which had been depleted by April, she said.
Crabtree said ReStore is looking for organizations that would like to have their own mini-paint drives. ReStore can provide instructions and details about what is acceptable to donate, she said.
For instance, the store cannot accept oil-based paint - it actually costs the store $5 a can to get rid of that paint, she said. If people are in doubt, they can look at the cleanup instructions on the paint can. Latex paint cleanup involves soap and water; oil-based paint does not.
"We try to not let it in the door," Crabtree said of oil-based paint. "... We do get it occasionally but we do try really hard not to."
Proceeds from sales at ReStore go to support the programs at Habitat for Humanity. Crabtree said many people have misconceptions about Habitat. Habitat does not give people homes, she said. The agency works with people, who purchase their homes with a zero-percent loan, she said. Participants must complete 250 hours of sweat-equity, too. That includes construction on their own homes, other homes and taking 16 weeks of classes including seven weeks of homeowner classes.
"We want to give them the best chance of succeeding that they possibly can have," Crabtree said.
Since it started in 2001, ReStore has funded the construction of more than 40 houses, she said.
Crabtree said ReStore especially wants to partner with Putnam County businesses and organizations for the paint drive.
"We have a much stronger presence in Kanawha County but we definitely want to get Putnam County involved," she said.
So far, ReStore already has a few partners signed up to have mini-paint drives. The West Virginia Department of Environmental Protection is planning a paint drop-off event from 9 a.m. until 3 p.m. Oct. 23, said DEP spokeswoman Kelley Gillenwater. Paint may be left at the garage area at DEP headquarters at 601 57th St. S.E. in Charleston. The garage is at the back entrance of the facility.
For more information about becoming a partner in the paint drive with ReStore, call 304-720-8733.
Reach Lori Kersey at lori.kersey@wvgazette.com, 304-348-1240 or follow @lorikerseywv on Twitter.