SEATTLE (Recycling Monster): The California Legislature has given final approval to SB 1143 (Allen) PaintCare Expansion Act, which intends to expand the scope of the stewardship program from architectural paint to paint products.
Since its introduction in 2012, the PaintCare program has helped to reuse and recycle millions of gallons of discarded paint. However, the program had placed certain limitations on accepted paint products. SB 1143 would remove these limitations, thus streamlining its operations across the state of California.
SB 1143 proposes to cover every type of paint product available. It targets to boost efficiency by bringing the management of all excess hazardous paints under one stewardship program. The bill, which has managed to garner the support of both environmental justice groups and paint manufacturers, will now head to the Governor’s desk.
Since 2012, PaintCare has collected nearly 34.6 million gallons of paint through its year-round drop-off sites. Through advice on how to use extra paint and how much to buy, the initiative also significantly contributes to public education. As per rough estimates, around 850 million gallons of architectural paint are sold in the U.S. every year. Approximately 10% of this paint is not used, and it ends up as hazardous trash in homes.
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