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Oregon to Begin Landmark Paint Disposal Program

Tuesday, May 25, 2010

Beginning July 1, paint manufacturers in Oregon will be required to safely manage leftover latex and oil-based paint from consumer and contractor painting projects.

The Oregon Paint Stewardship Program, signed into law last July, is the first legislation of its kind in the United States. Established on behalf of the producers of architectural paint sold in Oregon, the new law will assist with the creation of an environmentally sound and cost-effective program to help manage post-consumer paint.

“Oregon will serve as a pilot program for the entire paint industry,” said Alison Keane, counsel, Government Affairs, for the American Coatings Association (ACA), the national trade organization for paint manufacturers. “Our goal is to create a program that can be adapted and improved upon prior to it being adopted in other states.”

About 10% of the more than 750 million gallons of architectural paint sold each year in the United States goes unused. Under-funded city and county paint collection programs result in insufficient reuse, recycling and proper disposal of leftover paint.

As a result of the new legislation, the ACA created PaintCare, a new and separate non-profit organization that will be responsible for administering the new program, overseeing consumer education and outreach, and assisting with the proper management and disposal of unused paint.

Funding for the program will be generated from statewide paint sales. A PaintCare Recovery Fee will be applied to the purchase price of each unit of paint sold in Oregon, based on a graduated container rate (see table).

These fees will assist PaintCare in its efforts to educate consumers on the importance of buying the correct amount of paint, increasing reuse and proper management of usable paint, and proper disposal of unusable paint. The fees generated will also support a network of paint collection sites, transportation from the collection sites to processors for recycling, reuse, and energy recovery and disposal of the collected paint.

“This new program will make proper paint management more convenient and provide new resources for recycling throughout the state,” said Keane.

For more information about the program or to find out where you can recycle your own paint, visit www.paintcare.org.