Latex paint is a tricky item to dispose of– especially for people with a whole garage or shed full.

A new King County business, called GreenSheen, is now offering residents the option of recycling latex paint, which previously needed to be dried out and thrown away. The program is specifically for latex, or water based paint. Oil based paints and stains should still be taken to a King County Hazardous Waste facility.

To celebrate this service, the City of Kirkland is hosting the county’s first latex paint recycling event under the new program. On April 14 from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., bring your latex paint to Lake Washington Institute of Technology for recycling. A small processing fee applies to each container of paint. Lake Washington Institute of Technology is located at 11605 132nd Ave NE. The event will be in the South parking lot with access through the East Campus entrance on 132nd Ave. Northeast.

“Kirkland residents have been asking for a way to dispose of paint in an environmentally friendly way for years,” said council member Jon Pascal, chair of the Public Works Committee. “We are excited to offer this special event, especially during our Earth Month celebration. This option will save the latex paint from going into our landfills.”

GreenSheen has been operating in Colorado and Arizona and have now set up a new King County facility in the City of Kent. Once the paint is collected, it is reprocessed into new usable paint. The process includes screening, infusing the paint with mold inhibitor and reselling the product as an environmentally friendly latex paint.

For more information about the event and to see the fees for drop-off, visit Kirkland’s website at kirklandwa.gov/recycle.