Every Friday morning at 9am, the doors at the Environmental Service Center's south facility open to the public for free household chemicals.
"We got the colors on top, all the interior paint has been processed, looked at and made sure it is good," said Chris Ford with the service center.
It's free paint, free pesticides, free cleaning products.
"Free paint is free paint," Jordal Gipson said.
Gipson is remodeling his home and could use the savings on paint.
"Paint is really expensive right now so I would say a good thousand dollars," Gipson said.
But instead of paying retail, he will be able to walk away with several gallons of paint. Whether it's paint or other household products, all these items have been brought to the Environmental Service Center by residents for disposal. But many times the items are in great shape.
"What happens is people move out of their home, they can't load this stuff into the moving van so they bring here and it may be brand new," said Larry Stockham with the service center.
They are checked out and then put on the shelf for the public.
"We sort through and stuff that is usable we put out," Stockham said.
When it comes to paint, all the colors are labeled.
"We open up each gallon, stir it up and check to see if it is still pliable, see if it's still good," Ford said.
Other items up for grabs are spray paint, wood strippers, lawn and garden chemicals and automotive supplies.
"If somebody in the community, a citizen can use it, that's what we do -- recycle it back to the community, back to non profit organization, back to regular citizen hands," Ford said.
Just keep in mind, there is a limit of six chemical items and a cart load of paint per week, plus you must sign a waiver. And when you are done shopping, workers are there to help you load your car.
You do need to bring your ID. A recent water bill must be shown as proof of residency in the city of Houston. Again, the free paint is available on Fridays only from 9am until noon at the center's south facility only.
There is no limit on how many times you can go back. They get 5,000 gallons of paint per week so they do have a lot of paint and welcome the regulars.
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