Tip for getting FREE household paint

Our dump takes old paint during the warm months. Most of them are missing labels, but we specifically chose those and painted the treehouse with "mystery colors" for free back in April. It certainly won't win any beauty awards, but the kids think it's fantastic. Every time we gathered around to pop the top of the cans you'd think it was Christmas, and they had some in depth discussions on where that new color would look best. Simple pleasures lol

If you just need a small amount for a bookcase or something definately give it a shot. Arm yourself with a screwdriver though so you know what you're getting, unless you like to be surprised.

Our recycling center in Idaho has this program. It was fantastic. We learned to go there on the weekend FIRST, then go to the hardware store and pick-up items we couldn't find. BTW, we fudged on the "5-item limit" all the time.

And paint color was never a mystery. They let us open the paint cans right there to see if it was something we liked. We painted nearly the entire interior of our house with free paint.

Our dump has an area like that as well. 

Our landfill/recycling area has a building like that as well and I can't begin to count the cans of paint that I have gotten from it and used in the house. When we just redid our bathroom that is where I got the brown paint from. I have also gotten household cleaners as well as my dh getting stuff for vehicles such as fluids, oil, etc. We don't have a limit to what you can take.

I never would have known about that.  Thanks for the tip!
 

Great tip, I will have to check into it.  I did hear there is a company in the area that recycles used paint and sells it, so at least they are doing something with it other than filling landfills with it.