The Public Works Department’s special collection event on Oct. 1 will accept a new and common surplus product: latex paint.
“We have a wonderful partner, Recolor Paints (www.recolorpaints.com), who collects unwanted liquid latex paint and reblends it into a usable product,” said Liz Antanavica, Refuse and Recycling Administrator.
“This event was born as a result of feedback we received on our June food waste and recycling survey. Residents expressed a strong desire for this type of collection,” she said in an email.
Also accepted at the Oct. 1 special collection for the first time in several years – again in response to feedback from residents – will be Styrofoam. “Solid white packaging bracing will be collected and sent to Conigliaro Industries in Framingham,” said Antanavica. “The material should snap when you bend it – if it doesn’t snap, it’s not acceptable for recycling.”
The collection event agenda also includes paper shredding.
The Oct. 1 collection, open to Bedford residents only, will take place at the compost center, 108 Carlisle Road. To minimize traffic impact, residents are asked to plan their arrivals based on the first letters of their last names: A-F from 9 to 10 a.m., G-M from 10 to 11 a.m., N-Z from 11 a.m. to noon, and residents who could not participate in the morning from noon to 1 p.m.
Here’s the conventional way of disposing of leftover latex paint in trash, as described on one area town website: “Mix in kitty litter or pour one-inch layers of paint in a cardboard box lined with a plastic bag.”
Antanavica said, “The most important things to keep in mind are that all latex paints should be in original, labeled “gallons only, and up to 30 gallons per household.”
She stressed, “We cannot accept oil-based paints, stains, or other hazardous chemicals. Residents can bring oil-based paints to the household hazardous waste collection day instead.”
Recolor Paints will be represented at the collection. The Hanover-based company calls itself the state’s first manufacturer and retailer of recycled paints. Its products are sold in Habitat for Humanity ReStore locations and online.
Another collection is planned for Oct. 15; the agenda is electronics and small appliances, propane tanks, fire extinguishers, and tires.
Resident access stickers or proof of residency is required to access the compost center. Stickers are available at the DPW building, 314 The Great Road, during business hours. The department plans to send details by mail to residents in about a week.
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