Living Green

Reuse or Recycle It: Give Your Old Paint New Life

From Earth911

Sometimes it is not possible to use all of a product for a given task. Or you may have unwanted paint from previous projects or property owners. Reuse and recycling programs in your community, can take your leftover paint and give it new life by being put to use again.

Reuse Options

If you have leftover, unwanted paint in good condition, consider contacting a local charity, high school drama department, or church to see if they will accept paint for reuse. Examples of nonprofit organizations that may be interested in leftover paint include local Habitat for Humanity chapters and Keep America Beautiful affiliates. Some communities even offer “Swap Shops” (product exchanges) as part of a local household hazardous waste program, facility or local charity.

Recycling Options

Local paint reuse and recycling programs may collect paint from residents and commercial businesses. The paint is then taken to a company that will then recycle it into recycled-content paint. This type of paint is created through two processes - reprocessing and reblending.

Reprocessed paint is mixed with virgin materials, tested and then packaged for distribution or sale.

Reblended paint is remixed, screened and packaged for distribution or sale. Typically reblended paint comes in only a handful of basic neutral colors. It has a much higher percentage of recycled content paint then reprocessed paint, which may influence its overall quality. Reblended paint can be used for interior/exterior painting, graffiti abatement, and local improvement projects. If you are looking to purchase a higher quality paint with post-consumer paint content, click here for a list of recycled paint manufacturers.

Steel Paint Can Recycling

Empty steel paint cans are recyclable; however, not every community accepts paint cans as part of the local recycling program. Check with your local recycling or HHW coordinator for more information. To recycle, steel paint cans must be empty and all paint contents dried prior to recycling (so take off the lid and let them dry out).

For more information, visit Earth 911.