What To Do With Old Paint
What To Do With Old Paint. Do you know how easy it is to dispose of your unused paint, primer, stains, sealers, and clear coatings in an environmentally responsible way? You can recycle paint easily.
PaintCare, a non-profit stewardship organization that runs paint recycling programs across the country, launched in California in 2012. Today, there are more than 725 convenient and free drop-off sites located throughout the state, mostly at paint and retail hardware stores. Nearly 99 percent of Californians live within 15 miles of a PaintCare drop-off location, and businesses and residents alike are encouraged to drop-off their unwanted paint.
Painting contractors, property managers, and others with large amounts of unwanted paint can also enjoy the convenience of PaintCare’s free Large Volume Pick-up Service (LVP) service. If you have more than 200 gallons, measured by container size (not content), you qualify for the free service.
Additionally, if you frequently dispose of large amounts of paint, a regular pick-up service can be arranged. To request a large volume pick-up simply fill out a paper or electronic version of the “Large Volume Pick-Up Request Form” and return it to PaintCare by email, fax, or regular mail. Visit PaintCare for the form.
What Products Does PaintCare Accept? | |
PaintCare Sites Accept | PaintCare Sites DO NOT Accept |
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Learn more about what PaintCare accepts and does not accept for pickups and drop-offs.
PaintCare Resources:
Fees
There is no charge for dropping off at a PaintCare drop-off site.
PaintCare is funded by the “PaintCare Fee” which is added to the purchase price of new paint sold in the state. When you buy paint, you may see a line item on your receipt or invoice for each container. The fees are passed from the consumer to the retailer to the manufacturer and are remitted to PaintCare to operate the stewardship program.
The fee is not a deposit, you don’t get it back when you drop off paint – a common misunderstanding. The fee is separate from sales taxes, transportation taxes, and local assessments taxes – all common in Orange County, California and all added separately to each purchase of paint. These taxes are in addition to the PaintCare fee.
Fees fund all aspects of the paint stewardship program. This includes paint collection, transportation, recycling, public outreach, and program administration, and to manage old “legacy” paint, material that has been accumulating in homes and businesses from before the program started.
The fees are based on container size as follows:
| Container Size | Fee |
| Half Pint or smaller | $0.00 |
| Larger than half pint and smaller than 1 gallon | $0.35 |
| 1 gallon | $0.75 |
| Larger than 1 gallon up to 5 gallons | $1.60 |
What Should You Do with Empty Paint Cans?
PaintCare drop-off sites do not accept empty paint cans. Depending on where you live, you may be able to recycle empty paint cans in your curbside recycling program. If not, they should be disposed of in the trash. It’s important to check with your local recycling or trash services to see what is allowed. In most places, putting any liquids in the trash or recycling bins is prohibited. So, any cans you recycle or dispose of must be truly empty, and the lid should be removed so that trash collectors can see that they are empty.
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