Paint

Active NY Legislation on Paint Stewardship

Take action for paint stewardship now!

  1. Sign onto a group letter of support for the paint bill to be sent to Chairman Steven Englebright of the New York Assembly’s Standing Committee on Environmental Conservation. Those interested in listing the name of their agency, company, or organization should email Kristin Aldred Cheek.
    45 groups have already signed!
  2. Send an individual letter of support to Chairman Steven Englebright using our template letter as a guide. Please send a copy of the letter to Kristin so we can also add the name of your agency, company, or organization to the joint letter as a show of support.
  3. Send an individual resolution using our template resolution as a guide. Please send a copy of the resolution to Kristin so we can track the support for the paint bill.

Resources:

Problems with Paint

Every year, New York State residents purchase over 39.2 million gallons of paint – but 3.9 million go unused. Although paint is highly recoverable, reusable, and recyclable, most leftover latex paint ends up in landfills. Oil-based paint, considered hazardous waste, is the most expensive product for household hazardous waste (HHW) programs to manage, costing local governments across the country up to 50 percent of their total HHW budgets. Financial benefits through paint stewardship could be up to $31 million annually.

Paint EPR

Extended producer responsibility (EPR) laws for paint are an effective solution for providing consumers with a responsible and convenient way to dispose of unused paint, while reducing the financial burden on local government. The American Coatings Association, which represents paint manufacturers in the U.S., actively supports EPR legislation for paint.

Under paint EPR laws, PaintCare, an industry-run non-profit organization, is responsible for the major costs of managing leftover latex and oil-based paint, including transportation, recycling, and processing. In addition to partnering with local government programs to collect paint, PaintCare establishes retail collection locations throughout the state, increasing convenience for consumers and relieving local governments of the financial burden of paint collection. Learn more about PaintCare through the Product Stewardship Institute’s free, recorded webinars.