Hirshfield's, based in Minneapolis, said it used 445 gal of reusable paint from mistinted and discontinued product, mixing the materials with new paint to produce 1,900 gal of the company's "RenewWall" reprocessed latex paint. The company also supplied nearly 1,000 gal of new paint for the Paint-A-Thon.

"Hirshfield's partnership with Paint-A-Thon is a perfect example of our strong commitment to preventing pollution, reducing waste, and investing in the local community," said Linda Lindquist, the company's recycling manager. "We can help needy families and find solutions to keep paint from being discarded as waste," she said.

In this year's Paint-A-Thon, volunteer teams assembled by the Greater Minneapolis Council of Churches -- a nonprofit social-service organization -- painted 141 homes. The program also marked a milestone with the painting of the 5,000th home since the start of Paint-A-Thon 18 years ago.

In producing its reprocessed latex paint, Hirshfield's says the mistinted or discontinued paint "waste" material is put through a stringent quality-control process to eliminate contaminants such as paint that has frozen, microorganisms, and rust particles from old cans. Finished product is tested for application and performance properties, including measurements for scrub resistance, adhesion, viscosity, color, gloss, and pH level.