Washington effort yields old paint diversion

Organizers of the Seattle-based PaintCare not-for-profit program say that in its first nine months of operation in Washington, PaintCare collected more than 580,000 gallons of paint, “diverting most of it out of landfills and putting it to beneficial use.”

In its first annual report, PaintCare describes itself as being guided by the state of Washington’s paint stewardship law (SHB 1652), officially launched April 1, 2021. One year into collection, PaintCare estimates Washingtonians have dropped off approximately 842,000 gallons of unwanted paint.

The new paint recycling program has led to a network of 210 drop-off sites in the state. PaintCare says it has helped put in place “a unique collaboration between local and state-wide governments and private sector businesses.”

Brett Rodgers, director of communications for PaintCare, says, “It is estimated that about 10 percent of all household paint gets thrown away and can end up in landfills. Washingtonians chose to convert this waste product into a beneficial resource.”

He continues, “From day one, households and businesses across the state were engaged in recycling efforts. We owe a tremendous thank you to all of our partners that helped get this program off the ground. The outpouring of community support has been immense.”

PaintCare was created in collaboration with the paint industry through the American Coatings Association (ACA) to manage leftover paint in states that have enacted paint stewardship laws. “By working with centrally located paint retail stores and locally managed government facilities, the program makes it easy to recycle leftover paint, stain, and varnish,” the group says.

PaintCare says it also offers free on-location pickup to businesses, organizations, and households with 100 gallons of paint or more to recycle. 

“These programs allow us to put paint back on the shelf, protect the environment, and save local governments millions of dollars each year,” Rodgers says. “We’re proud of the progress we’ve made so far and look forward to continue working with our partners to safely and responsibly recycle even more paint in Washington state.”

Washington’s paint stewardship law (SHB 1652) was passed in 2019. Passage of the Washington paint stewardship law was made possible by support from multiple stakeholders, including Washington’s Department of Ecology, the ACA, the Product Stewardship Institute, the Northwest Product Stewardship Council and Zero Waste Washington, according to PaintCare.

The law includes a fee—called the PaintCare fee—on the sale of any new paint in the state, which funds aspects of the program including paint collection, transportation, processing and public education. Most PaintCare sites accept both latex and oil-based architectural paint products, including paints, stains, and varnishes. Paint must be dropped off in its original container with its original manufacturer’s label, according to PaintCare.