Next MET Collection?

[Conan71]

RM- When is the next fairgrounds collection for MET?  I'm finishing up a house painting project and have a bunch of empties and near empties along with other stuff which probably doesn't belong in the trash.

[NellieBly]

March 24-25 10 am to 3 Gate 7 Tulsa Fairgrounds
No latex paint, commercially generated waste or tires.

[NellieBly]

Keep painting until it's gone. The proper way to dispose of latex paint is to remove the lid, throw the lid away and then let the paint dry. If you live in the city limits of Tulsa, the trash haulers will remove a couple of cans per pick up but it has to be dry. There is a product at Lowe's called waste paint hardener that speeds up the drying process.

[Conan71]

Thanks for the tips on the latex cans, that is what the majority of the paint is.

[RecycleMichael]

The average home in America has twelve cans of paint in the garage that they will use again. The latex has no real potential for environmental harm when it is dry, but solvent-based paints still do. It is easy to dry latex paint, but be careful that it is a safe place away from kids and pets.

Latex is usually printed on the label, but if you are uncertain, add a few drops to a half-ful bottle of water, tighten the lid and shake. If it mixes, it is latex.

The technology of paint has made latex the choice for more and more applications around the home. It is the ingrediant added to make sure that it evaporates evenly as the paint dries. Manufacturers like Tulsa-based Anchor Paint have been improving their paint quite a bit in the last few years.

Latex paints can also be blended easily and will make some very beautiful shades of mostly beige or gray. The tip is to try to keep gloss and flat separate unless it is just going to be an undercoat. Open the containers and pour into a bucket, stir well then pour back into the best of your empty paint cans. Make sure and paint a good sized dab on so you will know what color it is. I also recommend adding the dates when any can of pollutants are opened with a permanent marker. Make sure you don't just set it back on the shelf for too long.

NellieBly is right, paint something is the best environmental answer.

The M.e.t. isn't against chemicals, we are just against storing opened containers of them in your home. Now is the time to go through your garage, under your sink, and in your medicine cabinet and get rid of anything you will not use or haven't used in more than a year.

The collection is this weekend, Saturday and Sunday from 10 am till 3 pm.