HOBART -- The shelves where more than 1,500 cans of used paint sat just last week stood empty Thursday morning.
The paints had all been blended into a neutral beige color in a new, one-of-a-kind paint blender designed for the Hobart Latex Paint Recycling Center.
Hobart, state and county officials were on hand for the official opening of the center that Lake County Solid Waste District officials expect will process hundreds of thousands of gallons of paint a year -- paint and cans that until now ended up in landfills.
"It's going from 100 percent landfill deposits to 100 percent recyclables," Hobart Mayor Brian Snedecor said.
"Hobart's going to be on the map for this," Lake County Solid Waste Management District board chairman and County Commissioner Gerry Scheub said, referring to the center being the first of its kind in the state.
The center is a joint effort of the city and the Solid Waste District, the culmination of two years of planning by Lake County Solid Waste Executive Director Jeff Langbehn and Northeast Indiana Solid Waste Management District Executive Director Steve Christman, who designed the paint mixer.
"Jeff and I are really pleased," Christman said. "We talked about this for a long time."
The center will be run by the Hobart Public Works Department and overseen by the Solid Waste District.
Langbehn announced that the recycling center, funded in part through recycling grant money, will be powered by solar panels being donated by SunDurance, the construction contractor for a $75 million solar power plant planned for the town of Schneider.
The mixed paint is available free to municipalities and not-for-profit groups, and for $3 a can to individuals to cover the cost of labor and new cans.
Habitat for Humanity in Gary carted away 90 cans Thursday to be sold at its Re-Store on Ridge Road.
Langbehn also announced the Solid Waste District is working toward a contract with a national not-for-profit organization to purchase most of the paint for more than $3 a gallon.