Free paint! But without color choice

Hey Johnston: I work at Mercer Island Youth and Family Services. We are providing an affordable home to a couple of families, and the house needs painting on the outside. I had heard there is a place where people turn in leftover paint, and they stir it all together so it is a yucky-brown color, and agencies like ours can get it for free. Did I dream this up?

Answer: You are not dreaming. We found a bunch of places where you can get free paint - in all sorts of colors, not just yucky brown!

The folks down at the King County Solid Waste Division have a traveling collection system called the Wastemobile. Of course, you don't want the waste these folks collect, but they do collect a lot of house paint.

That paint is shipped off to Seattle Public Utilities (206-684-7487), and if you call the department, you can get it for nothing. Another place to get paint is the Paint Solution (253-872-0114). This outfit sells paint, but it gives some away.

We're not through yet. Call up IMEX (Industrial Materials Exchange) at 206-296-4899 and ask for its catalog. The catalog has a couple of pages of listings that say things like: "100 gallons of various colors of interior latex and oil-based paint in 1-gallon and 5-gallon containers. FREE."

The only catch is that you have to pick it up. Most of the places are in the immediate area.

By the way, the county Wastemobile will be on Mercer Island from Feb. 11 through Feb. 20. It will be at Boat Launch Park at East Mercer Street, just off Interstate 90. It'll be open Thursday, Friday and Saturday during those two weeks from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.

This is the place to get rid of used paint as well as all that other stuff you can't figure out what to do with.

Hey Johnston: I hope you can help me. I need to know if there is something that I can do with the hundreds of plastic containers (such as cottage-cheese cups) that I have accumulated, other than putting them in the garbage. We are unable to recycle them in our boxes in our area. We live in King County. I have a problem with throwing anything away.

Answer: These are No. 5 plastic, and nobody wants them for recycling. We asked.

The recycling folks suggest you call a local elementary school to see if they can be used to mix paints or for other crafts.

Or maybe someone will call and want them.

Hey Johnston: For a while, my two Puget Sound Energy bills came as one bill in one envelope with one stamp. Sounds good if it saves money and paper. Now they have started coming as two separate mailings. Do you know why?

Answer: Two possible answers.

Kremiere Boone of Puget Sound Energy said sometimes the meter readers can't get to the meter in time for the billing cycle, so you don't get read in time for that bill to be included with the regular bill.

The other answer is that the gas and power company is replacing its meters, and sometimes that screwed up the billing cycle.

At least that is what Mr. Johnston was told when his gas bill didn't show up as usual last month. How to Just Ask Johnston: This column appears Mondays and Wednesdays in the Eastside edition. Leave your questions on Steve Johnston's voice mail at 206-464-8475. Or write: Just Ask Johnston, c/o The Seattle Times, 10777 Main St., Suite 100, Bellevue, WA 98004. The e-mail address is east@seatimes.com