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Gallons of old, unwanted and leftover paint are now cropping up at 352 retail locations throughout California, under the state’s new paint recycling program.
California PaintCare, the product stewardship program developed by the American Coatings Association, kicked off Friday (Oct. 19).
Data Expected Soon
The amount of paint collected in the first days of the state-legislated program was not immediately available, but figures will likely be reported in the coming month, said Paul Fresina, a spokesman for PaintCare Inc., the nonprofit created in 2009 to run the program.
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PaintCare Inc. |
| California’s PaintCare program, officially launched Friday (Oct.19), seeks to reduce costs for local Household Hazardous Waste Collection Facilities, like this one in San Francisco. |
The main data point for the recycling program will be the number of cubic yard boxes filled, Fresina said.
“I know one store has already called for a pickup,” he said.
Following Oregon
California was the second U.S. state after Oregon to enact industry-supported, paint-stewardship legislation.
Oregonians have recycled more than one million gallons of paint since the program launched there in 2010, according to officials.
California hopes to build upon Oregon’s success.
Legislation Fuels Effort
California’s program is an outgrowth of Assembly Bill 1343, enacted in 2010, which requires architectural paint manufacturers to set up and administer a system to properly manage leftover paint.
Paint is one of the largest components of local household hazardous-waste collection programs and costs local governments millions of dollars to manage each year.
The PaintCare program is funded by paint and coatings manufacturers.
‘Great Example’
The Department of Resources Recycling and Recovery (CalRecycle) is responsible for program oversight and enforcement, ensuring that all architectural paint manufacturers that sell paint in the state participate in a stewardship program.
“This program supports the safe disposal and recycling of one of the state’s most ubiquitous sources of household hazardous waste,” said CalRecycle Director Caroll Mortensen. “It’s also a great example of industry stepping up to ensure the safe end-of-life management of their product.”
The PaintCare model program was developed by the ACA, which represents paint and coatings manufacturers.
More Sites Planned
California’s $25 million to $30 million program seeks to have 750 collection sites throughout the state, Marjaneh Zarrehparvar, the executive director of PaintCare, told D+D News in August.
The organization will continue to recruit additional sites as the program rolls out. Full-scale deployment of the program is anticipated by 2014, Zarrehparvar said.
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| PaintCare’s website includes a list of paint drop-off sites in California. |
An interactive Google map showing the current drop-off sites is available on the program website.
Funding the Program
The paint take-back program is funded through an assessment on the purchase of new paint sold in California.
PaintCare manages the fund. Any surplus is reinvested into the program to reduce costs, including the assessment amount, which ranges from 35 cents to $1.60 depending on the container size, according to program officials.
Paint Makers to Report
Per the program, paint manufacturers are also required to file annual reports with CalRecycle. The department said it would post the reports on its website.
The reports will include:
• The amount of paint sold and postconsumer paint recovered;
• The methods used to collect, transport, and process postconsumer paint;
• The total program cost;
• An independent financial audit; and
• Examples of educational materials provided to help consumers calculate how much paint is needed for a project and to encourage them not to buy excess paint.
Other States in the Game
Legislation in other states will bring PaintCare programs to Connecticut in 2013 and Rhode Island in 2014.
The ACA hopes to implement programs in all interested states and to make PaintCare a model for a national system for managing leftover paint.
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