Maine Passes Paint Recycling Bill

Maine has passed a bill to create an industry-run collection and recycling program for leftover household paint.

The state paint recycling bill, LD 1308, passed by a vote of 28-7 in the Senate and 92-44 in the House, according to a news release from the Boston-based Product Stewardship Institute Inc. (PSI), which supports the bill.

If Gov. Paul LePage signs the bill into law, the product stewardship program will provide convenient used paint collection sites for consumers at participating paint retail stores and transfer stations throughout the state. The industry will manage the program, and it will be financed with a recycling fee added to the price of the product.

Maine would be the seventh state to enact a paint product stewardship program, following Oregon, California, Connecticut, Rhode Island, Minnesota, and Vermont.

Industry data on Maine paint sales indicate the program could result in the recycling of more than 300,000 gallons of paint annually in Maine.

The bill, introduced by Sen. Tom Saviello (R-Franklin), was supported by the American Coatings Association; paint companies such as Sherwin-Williams, Behr, Velspar and Henry; the Maine Resource Recovery Association, which represents 235 towns; retail stores; and organizations that promote product stewardship programs, including the Natural Resources Council of Maine and PSI.