Paint Recycling Program Saves Local Governments Money

Nearly 80 percent of local governments that participated in the industry-run PaintCare stewardship program saved money as a result, with average annual cost savings of $151,905, according to a report from the Product Stewardship Institute (PSI).

PSI released two reports to illustrate how the PaintCare program benefits retailers, residents, contractors and local governments. In one report, PSI evaluated the California paint stewardship program; the other assessed how paint stewardship relates to existing local government-run programs that collect household hazardous waste (HHW) from residents.

The reports include the following takeaways:

• Retailers are highly satisfied with the PaintCare program: 85 percent of respondents from retail drop-off sites in California indicated that they were either satisfied or very satisfied with the state’s paint stewardship program, and 88 percent indicated that they would recommend that paint retailers in other states participate in a similar recycling program.
• PaintCare has covered more than $52 million in transportation and processing costs for leftover paint since 2009 — costs normally borne by local governments.
• The PaintCare program creates more convenient options for residents: Before the California PaintCare program launched in October 2012, there were 144 paint drop-off sites in the state. There are now over 733 drop-off sites, including 583 at retail locations.

Paint manufacturers established PaintCare, a non-profit organization dedicated to properly managing leftover paint while emphasizing reuse and recycling. In addition to partnering with local government programs to collect paint, PaintCare establishes retail drop-off locations throughout states with paint stewardship laws, increasing convenience for consumers and relieving local governments of the financial burden of managing leftover paint.

Photo credit: old paint cans via Shutterstock