Austin ReBlend is a

paint recycling Paint is a recyclable item. Latex paint is collected at collection facilities in many countries and shipped to paint-recycling facilities. How paint is recycled There are many ways that paint can be recycled. Most often, the highest quality o ...

program administered by the City of Austin in Austin,

Texas Texas (, ; Spanish language, Spanish: ''Texas'', ''Tejas'') is a state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. At 268,596 square miles (695,662 km2), and with more than 29.1 million residents in 2 ...

. In 2012, Austin ReBlend produced of wholly recycled paint.

History

In 2009, Austin ReBlend received a grant to purchase equipment that allowed it to process and manufacture paint on-site, as opposed to through an

independent contractor Employment is a relationship between two parties regulating the provision of paid labour services. Usually based on a contract, one party, the employer, which might be a corporation, a not-for-profit organization, a co-operative, or any o ...

, which raised its production efficiency substantially.

Production

The service aggregates locally recycled

latex paint Acrylic paint is a fast-drying paint made of pigment suspended in acrylic polymer emulsion and plasticizers, silicone oils, defoamers, stabilizers, or metal soaps. Most acrylic paints are water-based, but become water-resistant when dry. De ...

, processes and analyzes it for quality control, and then retrofits candidate material into a new 100%

post-consumer Recycling is the process of converting waste materials into new materials and objects. The recovery of energy from waste materials is often included in this concept. The recyclability of a material depends on its ability to reacquire the p ...

, low-

volatile organic compound Volatile organic compounds (VOCs) are organic compounds that have a high vapour pressure at room temperature. High vapor pressure correlates with a low boiling point, which relates to the number of the sample's molecules in the surrounding air, a ...

product. In order to optimize manufacturing efficiency and to provide a stable consumer product, Austin ReBlend produces two pliable shades of

beige Beige is variously described as a pale sandy fawn color, a grayish tan, a light-grayish yellowish brown, or a pale to grayish yellow. It takes its name from French, where the word originally meant natural wool that has been neither bleached nor ...

: ''Texas Limestone'' and ''Balcones Canyonland,'' as well as a shade of green: ''Barton Creek Greenbelt.'' According to annual reports, the service produced 8,333 gallons of recycled paint during 2011. This number increased to in 2012. It is also

experiment An experiment is a procedure carried out to support or refute a hypothesis, or determine the efficacy or likelihood of something previously untried. Experiments provide insight into cause-and-effect by demonstrating what outcome occurs wh ...

ing and

research Research is "creative and systematic work undertaken to increase the stock of knowledge". It involves the collection, organization and analysis of evidence to increase understanding of a topic, characterized by a particular attentiveness t ...

ing new ways to improve its process.

Distribution

Austin ReBlend operates out of the Household Hazardous Waste Facility in Southeast Austin.

Availability

The service's recycled paint is made available free of charge to individuals and nonprofit civic organizations. A

blacklist Blacklisting is the action of a group or authority compiling a blacklist (or black list) of people, countries or other entities to be avoided or distrusted as being deemed unacceptable to those making the list. If someone is on a blacklist, ...

is also maintained to deter excessive exploitation of the service.

References

External links

*
Austin Recycles
on ''Facebook'' {{Sustainability Culture of Austin, Texas Economy of Austin, Texas Government of Austin, Texas Government programs Paint recycling Recycling in the United States