One Million Gallons of Leftover Paint Collected in NY State for Recycling

ALBANY, N.Y. -- PaintCare, a national nonprofit organization that makes it easy to recycle leftover household paint, stain, and varnish, has announced that its New York program has now recovered more than one million gallons of architectural paint products. The paint was collected from households, schools, and businesses across the state through both community events and convenient drop-off locations. The organization has no plans of slowing down on collection efforts either, as it just opened its 300^th recycling drop-off site to further expand its footprint across the state.

These major program milestones come just a few short months after PaintCare celebrated its one-year anniversary in New York on May 1.

"To say we are excited about these program achievements is an understatement. We are truly thrilled to see this kind of success in New York so early on," said Andrew Radin, New York program manager. "When the program launched in May 2022, we knew it would take time to develop the right partnerships and build awareness about paint recycling, but we were determined to make an impact. Seeing consumers embrace paint stewardship, witnessing community leaders support our cause, and having retail and municipal partners step up to volunteer their own spaces as PaintCare drop-off sites is truly remarkable. It's been a team effort and a great environmental win for New York that we can all celebrate."

"DEC applauds PaintCare for the success of the Postconsumer Paint Collection Program and the diversion of more than one million gallons of paint products known to harm the environment if not managed properly," New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) Commissioner Basil Seggos said. "This significant milestone reflects DEC's commitment to build upon New York State's nation-leading efforts to reduce waste at the source and prevent waste from heading to our landfills. By working together with PaintCare and other partners, DEC continues to advance a more sustainable future for New York State."

PaintCare was created by the American Coatings Association (ACA) to manage leftover paint in states that have enacted paint stewardship laws. New York's Postconsumer Paint Collection Program is a result of a paint stewardship law that was passed by the State Legislature in 2019. The nonprofit organization officially expanded into the state of New York on May 1, 2022 and since then has recruited more than 300 drop-off sites across the state through targeted outreach and word-of-mouth.

Thanks to the paint recycling program it is estimated that more than 95% of New York residents now live within 15 miles of a drop-off site. The majority of drop-off sites are conveniently located paint retailers, hardware stores, or locally managed government facilities that volunteer to accept paint from the public during regular business hours.

PaintCare's New York team focuses on both drop-off site expansion and consumer education by offering a variety of resources on the best practices for paint purchasing, storage, and re-use. They also work with local community organizations, including housing groups, to teach the importance of proper disposal and recycling processes.

PaintCare accepts both latex- and oil-based architectural paint products, including paints, stains, sealers, and varnishes. PaintCare helps to ensure the "highest, best use" for paint collected in the program, including giving away good quality material as-is, recycling it, or putting it to another beneficial use.

For more information on PaintCare New York's drop-off sites or program requirements, please visit www.paintcare.org/NY. To assist with larger volumes of paint, PaintCare also offers free direct pickups to businesses, organizations, and households with 100 gallons or more of leftover paint. GreenSheen Paint in Rotterdam and Empire Recycled Paint Inc. in Syracuse also assist as designated large volume collection sites, accepting unlimited quantities of paint at their processing facilities.

About PaintCare
PaintCare is committed to making it easy and convenient for households and businesses to recycle postconsumer (leftover) paint in states with paint stewardship laws. A nonprofit organization created by paint manufacturers, PaintCare sets up drop-off locations for leftover paint, arranges for recycling and proper disposal, and conducts public education. More than 606 million gallons of paint, stain, and varnish have been managed by PaintCare in 10 states and the District of Columbia. For additional information, visit www.paintcare.org, like us on Facebook, and follow us on Instagram @WeRecyclePaint.