So you’ve just repainted your living room…a dreamy shade of pale blue. You’re in love—it brightens and revitalizes your room. You’re left with tranquility…and paint! What will you do with the leftover paint? What is proper paint disposal?
Paints are considered hazardous materials and therefore need to be thrown out the right way. You should never pour paint down the drain as it could damage your disposal and pipes. Pouring it on the ground is not an option either since it is very hazardous to the soil. How you properly dispose of your leftover or old paint depends on the type of paint you have: latex paints and oil paints have slightly different methods, since oil-based paints are considered toxic waste.
For latex paints:
- Add equal parts cat litter to the latex paint in the can. If you have more than half a can, then you can pour the paint into a lined box and then add the cat litter.
- Stir the cat litter into the paint until it thickens enough that it will not spill. Then let it sit for at least an hour or until it is fully dried.
- Throw the dried paint into the garbage, with the lid off.
For oil-based paints:
- Oil-based paints are considered a hazardous material and must be taken to a recycling center.
- Learn more about hazardous disposal and pickup dates for the city of Charlottesville here. Or search for a waste disposal facility in your area on Earth911.com.
As an alternative, you could also donate the paint to a local school or theatre group or green building company such as Habitat for Humanity. (The Charlottesville, Virginia, ReStore for example, takes paint donations—as long as the paint is still in good condition, and the gallon is at least half-full.) You can also list it on a site such as FreeCycle.com or TrashNothing.com to see if anyone else wants to pick it up and reuse it.
Next time you have a paint project you can use Benjamin Moore’s Paint Calculator to figure out exactly how much you need so as not to end up with too much left over at the end!
Amanda Maglione
Written on
What about the paint cans? Can you recycle them in your street recycling?
Yes,if you let the paint dry out completely in the can first?
Jonathan Kauffmann
Written on
Hi Amanda,
Thanks for writing! If you have empty latex paint cans, you can put them into your regular garbage. (If there is still some paint left, follow the cat litter procedure before you dispose.) If you have empty oil-based cans, those will need to be taken to a recycling center that accepts hazardous waste.
Angela Waterford
Written on
My sister is done repainting her room and now wants to get rid of the spare buckets that she has that she left open. I never knew that they’re considered hazardous wastes that need to be disposed of immediately. I think I’ll find a facility that can manage this waste for me so that she won’t have to put them in the garage for a long time.