Lee County’s Reuse Center, a free resource for residents, has diverted 93 tons of household chemicals away from final disposal and provided them free of charge to local residents and businesses.
The Reuse Center, which opened in December of 2018, allows residents access to still-useable paints and chemicals that have been turned in for responsible disposal by other residents.
Latex paint represents roughly half of the material that has passed through the Reuse Center. Cleaning supplies and pesticides are the next most common materials. But, depending on the day, items such as pool chemicals, suntan lotion or Sterno may be found on the shelf.
“Reduce, reuse, recycle – that’s a phrase most people are familiar with,” said Doug Whitehead, director of Lee County Solid Waste. “The Reuse Center provides a double benefit in that it allows the county to reduce the amount of material that needs disposal and makes that material available for reuse.”
The Reuse Center, 6421 Topaz Court in Fort Myers, is open Monday through Friday 8 a.m. – 5 p.m. and one Saturday a month from 8 a.m. to noon.
Some Reuse Center stats:
- Total pounds of household chemicals diverted from disposal – 185,997
- Total pounds of latex paint diverted to the community – 95,468
- Total pounds of household chemicals diverted – 31,336
