Donate leftover paint to the Friends of Deckers Creek Paint Exchange on July 19 to support Morgantown’s recycling efforts and an eco-friendly community.
Homeowners and artists can do some late spring cleaning and get their creative juices flowing at the same time at the Friends of Deckers Creek (FODC) 10th annual paint exchange.
“Community members come in if they’ve got old latex paint laying around and turn it in,” FODC Executive Director Brian Hurley says, explaining how locals can donate their old latex paint and add new colors to their palettes. “If they’ve got a new project in mind, they can pick up another color.”
Volunteers from the FODC and the Morgantown Solid Waste Authority will be at the Morgantown Utility Board parking lot at 278 Greenbag Road Saturday, July 19, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Only latex paint is accepted, and you do not have to donate to take paint home. Any paint not taken will be kept by the Solid Waste Authority and will be open for public pickup at any time during their office hours at 3788 Industrial Park Road.
The event has grown in popularity over the past 10 years, Hurley says. The FODC collected more than 600 containers of paint last year, and he hopes to continue the upward trend.
Hurley says latex paint is notorious for ending up in local streams and emphasizes the importance of disposing of it properly for environmental safety. “The paint can end up on rocks. It can be graffitied. It can also disturb the habitat where fish and fish food live. It can clog up intake valves for springs or home-watering systems. It can be quite damaging,” he says.
If you have oil-based paint to get rid of, hang on to it for a couple more weeks. You’ll be able to take it to MUB’s Household Hazardous Waste Collection Day on August 2.
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