Suzanne Potter, producer/reporter, California News Service, a bureau of Public News Service.
On Earth Day, one easy way to help the environment is to make sure your leftover paint is put to good use.
The PaintCare program allows you to recycle paint, for free, by dropping off the leftover cans at more than 800 sites across the state, mostly in paint and hardware stores.
Terri Marsman, California program manager for PaintCare, which paint companies established, said the goal is to get paint out of the waste stream.
“If we can reuse it, we will,” Marsman explained. “Anything that’s dropped off that’s good quality that we can give back out to the public, we will do that. Anything that we cannot reuse, we will send it off to be recycled.”
To find the drop-off site closest to you, go to PaintCare.org. Each site accepts up to five gallons, and some will take more. The program also offers a free pick-up service for businesses with 100 gallons or more of extra paint. The program has recycled more than 37 million gallons of paint in California alone, and almost 78 million gallons through 11 programs nationwide since it launched in 2012.
Marsman noted PaintCare also promotes sustainability via its “Paint Smarter” tips on how to “Buy Right, Store Right, Use it Up, Give it Away, and Recycle the Rest.”
“We suggest that you talk with your paint store rep, and they can help you determine the correct amount of paint to buy, so hopefully you don’t have too much left over,” Marsman emphasized. “Therefore reducing the amount that needs to be recycled, which is more eco-friendly.”
In addition to house paint, PaintCare sites also accept primers, stains, sealers, and clear coatings such as shellac and varnish.
