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Your colorless house has recently been rendered colorful through the miracle of paint. However, your eyes were bigger than your walls, and you ended up buying way too much paint and found yourself with a couple cans of half-used red number 17. How will you get rid of it in a manner that jives with the planet?
For paint disposal tips, I went to the people who know paint the best, the National Paint and Coating Association. They had some great tips for dealing with post-consumer paints and coatings. You can read my paraphrased versions of their tips or you can read their list to get the full story.
- Buy the Correct Amount of Paint
Waste not, want not. That’s old-school advice. This tip can also save you some money.
- Store Paint Properly
Put the lid on the paint can. Cover the can in plastic wrap. Store can upside down at room temperature away from kids and pets.
- Use Leftover Paint
You can use the leftover paint for touch ups. Lighter colors can be taken back to retailers and re-tinted. Old paints can be mixed with latex paints for base coats on larger jobs. And I have to quote this last bit from the NPCA. “Perhaps, you know a neighbor or relative who could use your leftover paint; now, that’s being environmentally friendly!” And you thought my dumb jokes were bad.
- Donate Paint
The NPCA suggests seeing if local charities, church groups or theater organizations can use the paint. Otherwise, they suggest this. “Many communities collect paint for reuse, recycling or as a last resort, proper disposal through local Household Hazardous Waste (HHW) collection programs. Check the "Earth 911" Paint Wise web portal or call 1-800-clean-up, to learn about paint reuse, recycling and HHW collection programs that are available in your community.”
- Proper Paint Disposal
If there is no way to dispose of the paint, you’ll have to do it yourself. If there is less than an inch of paint at the bottom of the can, take the lid off the can and let it dry. Do this outside of your house. It can hurt the air quality of your home. Once the paint is dry, recycle the can. For larger amounts of paint, dump paint into absorbent material such as kitty litter or shredded paper. Throw in garbage. Recycle can.
More on Disposal:
How Much Household Waste Gets Tossed Every Holiday Season?
Join the Carpet America Recovery Effort
Ditch Dixie Cups at Your Office
Whether it's DIY green renovation tips you're looking for or 5 ways to reuse nearly everything you can think of, learn how with Planet Green Home & Garden.
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