The influence paint has on our lives can often get overlooked, but our community has an opportunity to show how much we care.
Mesa County Solid Waste Management has partnered with PaintCare, a national, non-profit organization that operates paint recycling programs. Through collaborations with collection sites like ours, PaintCare gathers unused or left-over house paints, stains, and varnishes from drop-off sites and transfers them to specialized recycling facilities. These recycling processors utilize latex-based paint as the raw material to manufacture new paint products. From there, some companies package these items for retail sale “just like new,” while oil-based items may be put to use as an alternative fuel for various incineration processes.
As a PaintCare partner, Mesa County saves the disposal cost for these items and earns money for any paint we find an alternative use. Our award-winning process of utilizing old latex paint as the landfill’s “alternative daily cover” and any paint customers pick up through our materials re-use program now brings additional funds for our hazardous waste program. Ultimately, this helps keep your trash disposal fees low. Where does this funding come from? In 2014 Colorado implemented a recycling fee on new paint sales that funds the PaintCare program.
Next time you’re at the hardware store, take a minute to study the shelves in the paint aisle. You may be surprised to find that many of our local retailers sell several brands of recycled paint. Consider purchasing a gallon or two of recycled paint, and remember the life of a can of paint doesn't end with the color and meaning it brings to your own life.
For more information about PaintCare, paint recycling, and where you can drop off your old paint for free, visit paintcare.org.