“Paint is one of the most expensive products for local household hazardous waste programs to manage. Paint stewardship has the potential to relieve local governments and taxpayers of that financial burden while also supporting a vibrant paint recycling program.”
—Lisa McDaniel, Former Program Manager, Mid-America Regional Council Solid Waste Management District
Approximately 10% of the paint that is not used in households in the United States goes to waste.
This amounts to a staggering 80 million gallons of latex and oil-based liquid paint being wasted every year. Within the state of Missouri, an estimated 1.3 million gallons of paint are discarded annually instead of undergoing recycling. This quantity alone could be used to paint 52,000 two-story houses, underlining the value in preventing this waste.
The unused paint cans lined up end-to-end could stretch 133 miles, the distance from St. Louis to Jefferson City. The unused paint—which could be recycled and turned into new paint products—would be enough to fill two Olympic-sized swimming pools. Fortunately, most of this excess paint can be easily repurposed, transformed into fresh paint, or utilized in a many environmentally friendly uses.
When paint is carelessly dumped in the trash or poured down drains, it poses a significant environmental hazard. This is because it contains hazardous compounds such as mercury and lead. What’s more, paint management is the most costly aspect of local household hazardous waste collection programs. It can consume as much as 50% of a program’s overall budget.
In Missouri, local governments and solid waste management districts spend hundreds of thousands of dollars each year to recycle old paint. In 2018, local governments alone disbursed over $380,000 for paint waste management through the collection and proper paint disposal. Unfortunately, due to these high costs, many solid waste management districts and local jurisdictions opt not to accept latex paint for hazardous materials disposal.
Missouri stands to gain substantial financial benefits, potentially exceeding $12 million annually, from effectively collecting and managing leftover paint through environmentally friendly recycling programs.
The best solution for managing leftover paint is to implement policies known as Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR). These regulations require paint manufacturers to create and manage programs that promote responsible paint disposal, which not only simplifies the process for consumers, but also reduces the financial strain on local governments.
With an EPR law for paint, individual consumers pay a small “eco fee” when purchasing new paint, typically around 75 cents per gallon. This fee is used by organizations like PaintCare, a nonprofit that represents paint manufacturers, to collect, transport, and process unused paint.
To date, ten states and Washington, D.C. have already implemented EPR laws, providing the foundation for statewide paint stewardship programs and drop off locations with paint disposal guidelines.
Let’s Create Change Together
These laws ensure a level playing field for both paint retailers and manufacturers. Collectively, these programs have successfully recycled over 72% of the paint collected, resulting in savings of nearly $300 million for governments and taxpayers. Furthermore, they have established more than 2,000 paint drop-off locations, with over 70% of them located at voluntary retail locations. These initiatives have made a remarkable difference, both environmentally and economically.
The American Coatings Association sponsors paint stewardship legislation in states that are considering it – including Missouri. In 2022, the Missouri Product Stewardship Council (MO PSC) and the Product Stewardship Institute (PSI) coordinated paint disposal and recycling demonstrations to inspire support for paint product stewardship.
The recycled paint used at each site was donated by GDB International and Amazon Paint , two of North America’s most experienced recycled paint manufacturers; both are founding members of the International Paint Recycling Association.