Paint Disposal: Choosing the Right Method for You (and the environment)

Paint is a very commonly used item.  Anyone from home residents to huge corporations ultimately faces the problem of proper paint disposal.  Where do you put old paint if it’s illegal to put it with the regular garbage?    

Home residents most commonly use acrylic and latex paints. One good thing about latex paint is that it's highly recyclable, which makes paint disposal cost effective.   Old latex paint can usually be dropped off at your local hardware store and recycled for free. Recycled paint is gaining a ton of momentum in different hardware stores across the country for resell and environmental purposes.  Major paint companies are sometimes even mixingrecycled paint with new paint to cut costs.

Also, most counties in the United States host household hazardous waste roundups at least once a month.  This gives residents a legal and cost free way to dispose of unwanted household chemicals.  While this is a great resource for residents, most counties do limit the amount of paint you can transport to these roundups.  The limit is usually 15 gallons or 125 pounds.  The and the Department of Transportation has ruled that you cannot transport more than this amount in your personal vehicle.

This is where the problem comes into play for businesses. Businesses face the problem of using paints that are the most difficult to recycle—generally oil-based and epoxy based. Businesses usually work with water based, oil based, and epoxy paints.  Oil based and epoxies are the most difficult paints to recycle.  A business usually generates more than 15 gallons of paint on a consistent basis.  This is where hazardous waste companies can be a huge help.  Hazardous waste companies are equipped and fully licensed to carry hazardous waste, no matter how small or large the amount.  While they do charge a disposal fee, you are guaranteed that your paint is being disposed of properly.    

Hazardous waste companies understand that paint can be a tricky stream of waste to deal with.  They also understand that companies are under the ever watchful eye of the Environmental Protection Agency.  Hazardous waste companies try and make the pickup as convenient and cost-effective as possible.  Businesses should never consider illegally dumping of any kind of paint.  The large penalty can be avoided with a simple phone call to a hazardous waste company.  In the end precautionary steps must always be taken when it comes to paint disposal.  Don’t be afraid to place a call to your local hazardous waste company to see what options you have and which service would best suit your company’s needs.