Depending on its color, the paint is poured over a screen into one of three 55-gallon drums. Blues, grays and greens go into the "Cool" drum. Beige hues make it into the "Off White" barrel, and reds, tans and browns are destined for the "Warm" container. The end product, hundreds of 5-gallon buckets of remixed house paint stored in a shipping container, is available free for San Francisco residents. In 1995 the first shipment of more than 700 5-gallon buckets of paint was shipped to Tonga. Since then, similar shipments have made their way, free of charge, to San Salvador, El Salvador; Tepatitlan (or Tepa), Los Cabos and Santiago, Mexico; and Mali, where the paint has been used for schools, churches and other community buildings. The recipients in these countries generally prefer brighter colors, so the paint is remixed from its drab American origins into more vibrant hues.
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