Clutter tip of the week: Easy way to dispose of paint cans in Oregon

on July 08, 2012 at 3:30 AM
paintcans.JPGLeftover paint is a side effect of home improvement.
Painting projects may beautify our homes, but less lovely are the used paint cans that these projects leave behind. Attics, basements, garages and garden sheds are all likely to harbor a collection.

Empty paint cans, of course, are easily dealt with, since they can go into the recycling bin with paper and plastic.  But cans that still contain paint are a different matter. Until recently, disposing of them meant taking a trip to one of Metro's  hazardous waste facilities. And with only two of these facilities to serve the entire Portland metro area, they're generally so distant that we're likely to put off the chore indefinitely, until our shelves become crammed with useless cans.  

Now, however, through the PaintCare program -- where Oregon led the way -- you can drop off those partially filled cans at a participating paint or hardware store. The list of sites is so long, chances are there's one convenient to your home. There's a drop-off store in Estacada, in Clackamas, in Gresham, even in tiny Mount Angel. As for Portland, there are plenty of options. Find a paint drop-off site that suits you.

There's no fee to drop off your cans. (Instead, a fee is added to the price when paint is sold, ranging from 75 cents for a gallon to $1.60 for a 5-gallon can.)

There are some limitations on what you can drop off, though. Containers larger than 5 gallons, industrial paints and specialty coatings are excluded. PaintCare has a list of what it does and doesn't take.
The nonprofit organization PaintCare was created by the American Coatings Association in concert with state and government officials. Oregon passed the first paint product stewardship law in the nation in 2009. California and Connecticut followed in 2010 and 2011, respectively.  So far, these three are the only states involved.

If you're wondering what's done with the dropped-off paint,, the PaintCare website says: "The collected paint is managed according to the waste management hierarchy emphasizing reuse, recycling, energy recovery and proper disposal."

So, go on, clean off that shelf in your garage, and make room for something more interesting. That old excuse -- "I don't have time" -- just got a lot weaker.

 -- Pat Jeffries
