Editor's Note: The following was submitted on behalf of PaintCare Inc.
October 19, 2012 marked the first day of the California Paint Stewardship Program established by a new law, AB 1343 (2010) by Assembly Member Jared Huffman, that requires paint manufacturers to develop a take back system for leftover paint from household and commercial consumers.
The new program will be the second and largest of its kind in the United States. Oregon’s pilot program started two years ago. Connecticut and Rhode Island are planning similar programs.
Paint manufacturers, through the American Coatings Association, created PaintCare, a non-profit 501(c)(3) organization to administer the state programs. The non-profit will arrange for recycling and proper disposal of unused paint and conduct public education about proper paint management.
More than 700 million gallons of architectural paint is sold each year in the U.S., and about 10 percent is available for recycling. Until now, leftover paint has been handled primarily by government-run household hazardous waste programs — many with strained budgets and limited days of operation.
Assembly Member Huffman said he believes that this California PaintCare program will be particularly helpful to consumers and local governments.
“This is an important program that will make paint recycling more convenient for Californians, reduce the financial burden on local governments, and protect the environment," he said. "It allows industry to take the lead in developing a safe and reliable system for the recovery and proper management of leftover paint. It’s a win win win.”
“This program will make proper paint management more convenient for the public by setting up hundreds of new paint drop-off sites at retailers throughout the state,” said Marjaneh Zarrehparvar, Executive Director of PaintCare. “It will also help local governments that partner with PaintCare by paying for the paint they already accept through their household hazardous waste programs.”
Funding for the program will come from a Recovery Fee that will be applied to the purchase price of paint sold in California and paid to PaintCare. Fees are based on container size as follows:
Container Size Fee Per Unit
- ½ Pint or Less $0.00
- More than ½ pint to 1 gallon $0.35
- 1 Gallon $0.75
- More than 1 Gallon to 5 Gallons $1.60
PaintCare will use the fees to pay for the transportation of leftover paint from partnering drop-off sites to processors for recycling and energy recovery. These fees will also assist PaintCare in its efforts to educate consumers on the importance of buying the correct amount of paint, using up leftover paint, keeping paint out of the trash, and recycling remaining unusable paint.
For more information about the California Paint Stewardship Program or to find out where you can recycle your own paint, visit www.paintcare.org.
Orange County collection sites include:
- Dunn-Edwards 1301 S State College Blvd Anaheim 92805 714-774-6330
- Frazee Paint 1133 N Kraemer Blvd Anaheim 92806 714-630-8040
- Glidden Professional 1889 E Ball Rd Anaheim 92805 714-535-8810
- Dunn-Edwards 7540 Orangethorpe Ave Buena Park 90621 714-670-1748
- Sherwin-Williams 8061 Orangethorpe Ave Buena Park 90621 714-522-0311
- Dunn-Edwards 1835 Newport Blvd Bldg G Costa Mesa 92627 949-548-0105
- Dunn-Edwards 3015 Bristol St Costa Mesa 92626 714-432-8745
- Vista Paint 2931 Bristol St Costa Mesa 92626 714-540-8282
- Sherwin-Williams 34222 Doheny Park Rd Dana Point 92624 949-661-0100
- Dunn-Edwards 18060 Brookhurst St Fountain Valley 92708 714-968-4211
- Dunn-Edwards 1440 S Harbor Blvd Fullerton 92832 714-773-0042
- Vista Paint 2020 E Orangethorpe Fullerton 92831 714-680-3810
- Shilpark Paint 9001 Garden Grove Blvd Garden Grove 92844 714-534-8889
- Sherwin-Williams 17171 Beach Blvd Huntington Beach 92647 714-847-2944
- Vista Paint 17445 Beach Blvd Huntington Beach 92647 714-841-5596
- Dunn-Edwards 16191 Lake Forest Dr Irvine 92618 949-788-0950
- Sherwin-Williams 1620 W Whittier Blvd La Habra 90631 562-690-0819
- Vista Paint 1450 S Harbor Blvd La Habra 90631 714-871-2169
- Vista Paint 27450 Alicia Pkwy Laguna Niguel 92677 949-349-1955
- Sherwin-Williams 22500 Muirlands Blvd Lake Forest 92630 949-707-1207
- Vista Paint 24164 Alicia Pkwy Mission Viejo 92691 949-586-9330
- Dunn-Edwards 1915 N Tustin St Orange 92865 714-602-1845
- Vista Paint 2341 N Tustin Ave Orange 92865 714-998-4770
- Dunn-Edwards 1575 N Placentia Ave Placentia 92870 714-572-1223
- Sherwin Williams 1290 E Yorba Linda Blvd Placentia 92870 714-223-5720
- Dunn-Edwards 30102 Santa Margarita Pkwy Rancho Santa Margarita 92688 949-459-1195
- Dunn-Edwards 31896 Plaza D San Juan Capistrano 92675 949-234-1201
- Vista Paint 31894 Plaza Dr San Juan Capistrano 92675 949-489-8393
- Dunn-Edwards 521 W 17th St Santa Ana 92706 714-541-9166
- Sherwin Williams 1958 E Edinger Ave Santa Ana 92705 714-258-2628
- Vista Paint 2400 E 17th St Santa Ana 92705 714-480-0648
- Vista Paint 8615 Katella Ave Stanton 90680 714-827-2111
- Dunn-Edwards 13662 Newport Ave Tustin 92780 714-731-4113
- Dunn-Edwards 15261 Beach Blvd Westminster 92622 714-901-5901
About PaintCare Inc.
PaintCare is a non-profit organization established by the American Coatings Association to implement Paint Stewardship Programs on behalf of the paint manufacturers in states that pass paint stewardship laws. To learn more about the importance of recycling and using up leftover paint, or to find a drop-off site near you, visit www.paintcare.org
