Paint recovery program makes it easier to get rid of old products at no cost

While out navigating the holiday rush you can also get a jump on spring cleaning under a new statewide paint recovery program.

The Paint Stewardship Act, which went into effect Monday, lets residents and businesses drop off old paint, primers, stains, sealers and varnishes at more than 250 retailers with no fee.

“This is making it more convenient for people to get rid of this stuff,” said Pete Adrian, recycling coordinator for the Solid Waste Agency of Lake County.

However, consumers may not completely escape as the program is funded by a small fee applied to the price of each container of new paint sold in Illinois.

Visit paintcare.org for drop-off locations, a full list of accepted products and amounts, fees and other details.

Oil-based products have been taken at sites such as SWALCO and one-day collection events. But schedule and distance have been problematic for residents and the collections have not been available to businesses, according to the Illinois Stewardship Council.

Latex paint used to be accepted at household hazardous waste collections but is considered nonhazardous if dried or hardened, said Walter Willis, SWALCO executive director.

That could be done by adding cat litter or similar substance making it OK to throw in the trash. But for many homeowners the number of unused cans of latex paint continue to grow in dusty corners of the garage or basement.

“That’s why we started the special collections program — but we were charging people,” he said. Beginning in April 2023, SWALCO charged $4.50 per gallon or $11.50 for 5-gallon buckets to cover handling, storage and recycling costs.

“We didn't run that program to make money, we ran it to break even,” Willis said.

However, starting Saturday, Lake County residents can drop off up to 20 gallons of latex paint at SWALCO in Gurnee for free by appointment.

Now, there also are many more convenient options no matter where you live. The new program will reduce the burden on residents and businesses to get rid of old, leftover paint, according to ILPSC.

“There are a lot of retailers that will take it,” Willis said. All voluntary retail collection sites accept up to 5 gallons of paint per visit, though some have a higher limit.

While free to drop off, the program operated by PaintCare, a nonprofit organization of paint manufacturers, is funded by a fee applied to the price of each container of new paint sold in Illinois.

In Illinois, The fee is based on size and is 95 cents for 1 to 2 gallons, for example. By law, PaintCare will reuse, repurpose and recycle the products with disposal as a last resort.