If you’ve been in your home for any period of time longer than 6 months, your garage might have a few half-empty paint cans sitting in the corner. By “a few” I mean several dozen. Maybe they’ve been there for years, collecting dust, taking up space, and serving as a reminder of that “fun” weekend when you decided to repaint the kitchen – twice, because you thought orange would look good the first time. But now, you’re faced with the age-old question: how to recycle old paint? It’s not as easy as tossing it in the trash. Seriously, please don’t do that. Fortunately, there’s an easy and responsible way to get rid of those cans.
Why You Shouldn’t Just Throw Paint Away
Before we dive into a nearly magical solution for how to recycle old paint, let’s talk about why it matters. Most paint is considered hazardous waste, meaning it’s not only bad for the environment when disposed of improperly, but in some areas, it’s actually illegal to throw it away with your regular trash.
Recycling old paint helps prevent harmful chemicals from seeping into the soil and water, and it ensures that leftover paint can be repurposed, sometimes by being remixed and resold.
What About Empty Containers?
Here in sunny San Diego, California, our city recommends completely empty paint containers are recycled in our standard recycling container for paper, cardboard, aluminum, bottles, etc. However, your municipality may have differing capabilities and opinions. If you have empty containers, it’s worth checking with your local recycling center to see if they’ll accept those. Assuming your garage isn’t just filled with empty containers, how do you recycle old paint?
PaintCare to the Rescue
Enter PaintCare, the superhero website we always knew we needed! PaintCare is a non-profit organization dedicated to helping you recycle paint safely and easily. They’ve partnered with retailers and recycling centers all over the country, creating drop-off points where you can take your old paint without hassle and without fear of scary people in hazmat suits. They make finding those drop-off locations as easy as forgetting what paint container was used for what project.
How to Recycle Old Paint with PaintCare
At this point, you’ve either nodded off on a nap, or, you may be wondering, “How do I find a drop-off site near me?” Simply, Head over to their website, and use their handy location finder. Just enter your zip code, and boom – within seconds, you’ll know exactly where to take those cans that have been cluttering your precious man/woman/child cave.
They accept latex and oil-based paints, as well as stains and varnishes, which means you can clear out your garage (or shed, basement, guest bedroom, family room – wherever your paint cans have gone to retire) in one fell swoop. Some locations even take empty paint cans if our tips for those above didn’t help you out.
Where Does PaintCare Operate
The one catch to this resource for how to recycle old paint is that PaintCare doesn’t cover all 50 states – at least not yet. At the time of this article, they cover 11 states.
If you are not in one of those magic green states noted on their site’s locator tool, then I would recommend you check with your local trash/recycling center or city department. Many areas have regular household hazardous waste recycling options.
Preparing Your Paint for Recycling
Once you’ve figured out how to recycle old paint using PaintCare’s services or another similar service, you’ll want to make sure you’re prepping your cans the right way:
- Seal it tight: Make sure the lids are secured on your paint cans unless you want your truck bed or trunk to look like a Jackson Pollock piece. This keeps the paint from spilling during transport and helps keep the recycling process tidy.
- Sort it out: PaintCare does a fantastic job accepting most types of paint, but make sure you’re only bringing in paint and products they accept. No need to roll up with a mystery substance with a radioactive warning on it. Also, no cans of tar, OK?
- Use what you can: Before you drop off those cans, take a look to see if there’s any paint you can use for touch-ups. A little leftover paint goes a long way when it comes to sprucing up door frames or patching scuff marks.
- Write a sweet, inspiring note summarizing your hopes and dreams for what your paint will be used for. OK, this last one is optional, but I’m sure the recipient would find it entertaining.
What Happens to Recycled Paint?
Now that you know how to recycle old paint, you might be wondering what happens to all those gallons after they leave your hands. The good news is that much of the paint collected by PaintCare gets a second life. They recycle it by reprocessing the paint, cleaning it up, and remixing it. Some of it gets turned into new paint, while other portions are used in industrial applications or as an energy source. Basically, your old paint is being reincarnated!
By recycling your paint, you’re contributing to a sustainable process that keeps harmful chemicals out of the environment while giving new purpose to old products. Plus, the more we recycle, the fewer raw materials we need to create new paint, which means less environmental impact all around. High five, you tree-hugging HomeFixated fan!
How to Recycle Old Paint – A Final Word
No one wants to hang on to those crusty old cans of paint forever. Learning how to recycle old paint is one of those small but impactful steps we can take as homeowners and DIY aficionados to make the world a better place. Perhaps more importantly to SOME of us, it will also free up some much-needed garage space, which any HomeFixated reader cannot have enough of.
So next time you finish a painting project and have leftovers (which, let’s be real, estimating the correct amount is nearly impossible), don’t let those cans sit for years! Head over to PaintCare’s website or your local household hazardous waste center, find a drop-off location, and do your part for the environment. It’s easy, it’s free, and it’s a win for everyone.
While PaintCare is a fantastic resource, if you know of other similar programs (especially in the 30+ states PaintCare doesn’t cover), please don’t be shy – share them in the comments below!
What a useful article! And you make it easy. Thank you — I’ll be loading up the trunk with all the little sample cans that didn’t work out.
Glad you found it useful Vicki. May your garage be freed up for more important stuff!