Eco-tip: A cheaper way to discard paint
Recycling paint through regular drop-off programs for household hazardous waste is expensive, but residents wanting to discard paint have a lower-cost option.
Drop-offs at paint stores participating in the PaintCare program are so efficient the cost has even declined during this time of high inflation.
To the consumer, it may seem both programs are free. However, both really do have a cost.
Public agencies fund most general household hazardous waste collection by charging a fee to garbage collection companies, with those expenses passed on through rates charged to customers. The fee is necessary because contractors operating collection events usually charge more than $70 per vehicle load brought to them, regardless of contents.
Drop-off programs at paint stores are also funded by a fee, but it isn't noticed at the time of recycling because it's charged as part of paint purchases. All paint stores in California charge from 30 cents to $1.50 for containers from half a pint to 5 gallons. The fees go to a nonprofit, PaintCare, created and administered by paint industry representatives to meet a state mandate. The organization pays for collection, transport and processing of old paint into new paint, concrete, fuel and other products. PaintCare also promotes the program statewide.
Paint retailers must add the fee to purchases, but participation as a drop-off site is voluntary. Participating stores can be found on the PaintCare website at paintcare.org. The "drop off paint" link allows you to search for nearby locations. Entering a city in the middle of Ventura County yields a list of 25 options from Agoura Hills to Carpinteria, including sites in the Ojai Valley and the Santa Clara River Valley.
I recently went to Frontier Paint in the Mira Monte area of the Ojai Valley and my example shows one reason why stores choose to participate. I recycled only a small amount of paint left in a 5-gallon container, but then bought an expensive quart-sized paint mixed on-site. Sam Morales, Frontier Paint's sales clerk, said one or two recyclers come in per day. Most are either regular customers or become customers.
There is another reason why the public-private program run by PaintCare is less expensive than household hazardous waste events run by public agencies. Staff administering the latter programs must be prepared for a wide range of materials. Handling large amounts of flammable materials, such as paint, at the same time as toxic material, such as pesticides, requires great precautions. Explosive material, such as ammunition and picric acid, is generally banned from these events but sometimes arrives anyway, also requiring expensive preparation.
A hybrid of these two approaches to collecting paint is also available to recyclers. Some drop-off centers offer regular weekly hours for limited types of materials. These sites are called ABOPs due to the items accepted: antifreeze, batteries, oil and paint. The centers generally also accept fluorescent light bulbs and tubes. Call your local city recycling coordinator or garbage collection company to find if such a site serves your community. These sites are also funded through contracts with public agencies but are usually operated by private companies.
PaintCare drop-off sites accept both latex paint and oil-based house paint as well as primer, stains, sealers, varnish and shellac. However, the stores do not accept aerosol spray cans, auto and marine paints, part paints, industrial paint, tints and resins, thinners and solvents, caulk and spackle, wood treatments and preservatives, deck cleaners or tar and asphalt-related products. Those items must be dropped off at a general household hazardous waste site or event.
Paint dropped off at PaintCare sites must be in a non-leaking container with a secure lid. Paint must be in the original container with a manufacturer’s label and no larger than 5 gallons.
Thrift stores generally do not accept paint. However, Habitat for Humanity’s ReStores in Oxnard and Simi Valley, which sell surplus and gently used home improvement items, accept unopened cans of paint.
David Goldstein, an environmental resource analyst with the Ventura County Public Works Agency, can be reached at 805-658-4312 or david.goldstein@ventura.org.
This article originally appeared on Ventura County Star: Eco-tip: A cheaper way to discard paint
