PaintCare celebrates 10 years of paint recycling in California

PaintCare, a San Diego-based nonprofit organization created by paint manufacturers, is celebrating 10 years of paint recycling in California.

The organization says is has collected more than 34 million gallons of paint, stain and varnish since its launch in 2012, almost half of what it has collected nationwide. Guided by California’s paint stewardship law that was passed by the state legislature and signed into law in 2012, PaintCare says it makes it easy for households and businesses to drop off leftover paint for recycling at a network of more than 850 drop-off sites throughout the state.

According to the Boston-based Product Stewardship Institute (PSI), about 10 percent of all household latex and oil-based paint goes unused in the U.S.—about 85 million gallons annually. PaintCare adds that paint stewardship laws ensure that everyone involved in the production, sale and use of paint work together to manage its entire product lifecycle.

While giving Californians a convenient and cost-effective way to recycle paint, PaintCare says it diverts paint from landfills and puts it to beneficial use. Most of what the organization collects is latex paint that can be processed into new paint by recyclers, while some is used in other applications. PaintCare also partners with community organization to provide households, nonprofits and businesses access to free or low-cost leftover paint.

“The PaintCare program is a shining example of the good that can be done when government and industry work together with a common goal,” PaintCare California Program Manager Terri Marsman says. “The results from the first 10 years of operation show the impact of the PaintCare program and its potential for continued growth.”

PaintCare says California’s paint stewardship law was the second in the country at the time of its passing and has since served as a template for similar programs that have been enacted in nine other states and the District of Columbia. The program was created by the paint industry and the nonprofit American Coatings Association, Washington, with oversight by California’s Department of Resources Recycling and Recovery (CalRecycle).

Nationally, PaintCare says it has collected more than 62 million gallons of paint from households and businesses since its first program launched in Oregon in 2009. Since, PaintCare has partnered with more than 2,400 new drop-off sites, managed paint from more than 300 paint collection events and provided more than 8,000 free pickups for households, businesses and organizations with at least 100 gallons of paint to recycle.

Households and businesses can find the nearest drop-off site by visiting PaintCare’s online site locator. Drop-off sites include paint retail, hardware, reuse and lumber stores open during normal business hours, as well as locally managed government facilities. PaintCare also hosts events where households and businesses can drop off unused paint and, at some events, pick up free paint for reuse.

The organization says California’s paint stewardship law includes a small fee, called the PaintCare fee, on the sale of any new paint in the state, which funds all aspects of the program including paint collection, transportation, processing and public education.