Every house painting project should have some left over paint or stain. It is a good idea to have one or two gallons of touch up paints available in case the substrates are damaged or high traffic need “freshening†before the next major paint job. However larger quantities should be re-used on other projects, donated to charity, or recycled. Facts about the amount of left over paint in the US: The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency calculates that annually nearly 70 million gallons of paint are left over in the United States. Imagine 27.6 billion square feet each and every year ( 303 square miles). Check the label. Paint manufactured before 1978 could contain lead, many paints made before 1991 could contain mercury. Both materials should be listed on the paint label. Paints containing lead or mercury should be taken to a household-hazardous-waste collection facility. Recycle it. Some city/municipalities offer recycling programs for old paint and empty paint cans. Water-based, or latex, paint can be recycled into new paint or it can even be used to create nonpaint products such as cement. Oil-based, or alkyd, paint is usually used for fuel blendingâ€"meaning it’s burned to create energy at a power plant. To find out whether paint recycling is an option in your area, contact your municipal recycling or household-hazardous-waste center. Dispose of Latex Paint once latex paint is dried it can be safely disposed of in the garbage, or local a waste facility. Paint cans can also be dried out and disposed. Water-based paint is treated as hazardous in only a few statesâ€"including California, Washington and Minnesotaâ€"and is still generally accepted at hazardous-waste facilities Oil-based paint is always considered hazardous and should be disposed of at a household-hazardous-waste collection facility.
Shearer Painting will take away and recycle or dispose of your unused paint properly.
Do It Yourself Instructions for Recycling Paint:
1. Lay out plastic film in a well ventilated area. We suggest 4 mil polyfilm spread out in A CONTAINMENT enclosure; such as bracked 4 x 4 posts nailed together. This is the same system we use in our video.
2. Pour out left over paint over the plastic. Take care to keep the no thicker than 1/8 of an inch. Spread out the paint with a stir stick or make shift spreader made of cardboard.
3. Allow paint to dry; this should be 12-48 hours depending on temperature and humidity.
4. Thoroughly dried out latex paint and be disposed of with normal garbage.
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