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Connecticut Gov. Dannell Malloy on Monday signed into law the nation’s third program mandating paint manufacturers to manage leftover latex and oil-based paint from consumers and professional paint users.
The law paves the way for implementation of the leftover-paint management program “on or before” July 1, 2013. Under the program, paint users will be able to recycle or dispose of unwanted paint by taking it to a participating retailer or household hazardous waste site.
The Product Stewardship Institute reports that it facilitated negotiations that led to the Connecticut paint-recycling program, the result of a “multi-stakeholder” process. Similar measures were enacted in Oregon in 2009 and California in 2010.
The institute said the law will expand recycling options for architectural paint while significantly decreasing costs for local agencies responsible for management of such materials. The legislation was supported by the paint-manufacturing industry, the institute said.
The Connecticut program will include the cost of managing leftover paint in the purchase price of new paint, and will set up an industry-led program “to reduce paint waste, increase reuse and recycling, and safely dispose of remaining unusable paint.”
“As any homeowner in Connecticut knows, getting rid of unwanted paint is a difficult challenge,” said Daniel C. Esty, commissioner of the Connecticut Department of Environmental Protection. “With our new program, we will provide a convenient option for residents to safely recycle or dispose of unwanted paint.
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| Under the Connecticut paint stewardship program, paint users will be able to recycle or dispose of unwanted paint by taking it to a participating retailer or household hazardous waste site. |
“Thanks to the cooperation of the paint industry, we will be able to increase our recycling, save money for municipalities, and provide a valuable service to our citizens—all at no cost to state taxpayers.”
Added Lori Vitagliano of the Connecticut Product Stewardship Council: “Local governments need help from product manufacturers to provide the level of convenience and customer service required to properly manage one of our most costly waste streams.”
The Product Stewardship Council is a group of local governments, regional councils of elected officials, state government officials, businesses, environmental advocacy groups, and concerned citizens that promote a “product stewardship” or “producer responsibility” system for financing the end-of-life management of certain waste streams in Connecticut. More information: Connecticut Product Stewardship Council.
Manufacturers: Part of the Solution
Scott Cassel, executive director of the Product Stewardship Institute, said paint and coatings manufacturers, represented by the American Coatings Association, should get much of the credit for the development of the Connecticut paint-management program.
“This law would not have been possible without the steadfast leadership of the paint industry and the perseverance of other stakeholders,” Cassel said. “Every decision was made through a painstaking consensus, and it will pay off in the form of millions of dollars of savings each year for Connecticut local governments, increased environmental benefits, and additional environmental jobs.”
“We look forward to building on our experience in Oregon and California to launch a program in Connecticut that not only works for the paint industry, but also meets the public's need for convenience, efficiency and cost effectiveness,” said Alison Keane, a vice president of the American Coatings Association (ACA), a participant in the development of the Connecticut program.
“The Product Stewardship Institute’s unique process of engaging both government and industry stakeholders and incorporating all interests into the solution helped us develop a state model that can be replicated across the country instead of having a patchwork of laws,” Keane said.
ACA represents paint and coatings manufacturers, raw-materials suppliers, distributors and technical professionals. ACA incorporated its 501(c)(3) PaintCare organization in 2009 to address the need for an industry-led product-stewardship solution for unwanted, leftover post-consumer paint. More information: www.paintcare.org.
The Product Stewardship Institute said more than 609 million gallons of architectural paint are sold in the U.S. each year, with an estimated 10% of the total remaining unused. Underfunded municipal collection programs result in insufficient reuse and recycling and improper disposal of leftover paint, the organization said.
The Product Stewardship Institute says more than 60 state “producer-responsibility” laws are in place nationwide, requiring product manufacturers to provide for the collection and recycling of electronics, mercury thermostats, fluorescent lamps, and other products that cause unintended environmental impacts if not properly managed.
The institute said it continues to work with other states pursuing paint stewardship legislation as part of the continued implementation of its national multi-stakeholder agreement.
The Product Stewardship Institute is a national non-profit environmental institute that says it works to establish cooperative agreements to reduce the health and environmental impacts from consumer products. More information: www.productstewardship.us.
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