PaintCare's program makes paint recycling more convenient
PROVIDENCE, RI. – (June 2, 2014) – Paint recycling just got easier in the Ocean State. PaintCare, a Washington, DC-based product stewardship organization for the paint industry, and the Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management are pleased to announce the start of a new paint recycling program in Rhode Island. June 1 marked the first day of the Rhode Island Paint Stewardship Program established by legislation sponsored by Senate Majority Leader Dominic Ruggerio and Representative Donna Walsh and signed into law by Governor Lincoln Chafee in 2012. The new law requires paint manufacturers to develop a take back system for leftover paint from household and commercial consumers. The new program is the fifth of its kind in the United States.
Created by the American Coatings Association (the trade association for paint manufacturers) PaintCare is a non-profit organization tasked with working with state and local governments to develop paint stewardship programs; recruiting paint stores and others to serve as year-round paint drop-off locations; and conduct public outreach and education. PaintCare operates programs in four other states that have passed similar legislation.
The Rhode Island law requires that paint manufacturers create and fund an easy-to-use, cost-effective and environmentally-responsible program to manage unused or leftover paint in the state. The program is funded by a nominal fee added to the purchase price of paint at retailers throughout the state. The fees range from $0.35 to $1.60, depending the size of the container. "This new program offers Rhode Islanders convenient options to safely recycle or dispose of unwanted latex and oil-based paint by taking it to one of the new collection sites at participating paint retailers," said DEM Director Janet Coit. "Thanks to the cooperation of the paint industry, we are able to provide this valuable service for Rhode Island households and painting contractors. In addition to creating a new market for recycled paint, this program will also reduce waste and keep the toxic ingredients from older paints out of the environment."
For the convenience of Ocean State residents, most PaintCare new drop-off sites will be at paint retailers and open year round. PaintCare sites accept all brands of house paint, stain and varnish, no matter how old they are, during their regular business hours. This will give homeowners and paint professionals alike multiple, easy-to-use options to recycle unwanted paint, including latex paint. Paint Care expects to set up at least 25 new paint drop-off sites throughout Rhode Island as part of the program.
In addition to the PaintCare sites, Rhode Island Resource Recovery Corporation will continue to accept paints, stains, and varnishes at their Saturday Eco-Depot events. Eco-Depot will continue to be for residents only, while contractors may use any PaintCare participating retailer.
"It's exciting to be adding Rhode Island to the program," said PaintCare Executive Director, Marjaneh Zarrehparvar. "The support for this movement in the state has been tremendous from the legislative level down, and we are looking forward to working together with our partners at DEM, as well as the paint retailers across the state, to make responsible paint recycling as easy and as readily-available as possible." she added.
To view the approved program plan, please visit paintcare.org/rhodeisland. PaintCare lists the new PaintCare sites on its webpage. Using an easy-to-use search tool, residents and businesses can find the nearest drop-off site by entering their zip code or town. Please visit www.paintcare.org for more information or to locate a PaintCare site.
About Paint Care PaintCare is a non-profit organization established by the American Coatings Association to implement Paint Stewardship Programs on behalf of the paint manufacturers in states that pass paint stewardship laws. To learn more about PaintCare, please visit www.paintcare.org.
Media Contacts:
Greg Davis, Mascola//Group PR (on behalf of PaintCare) P. (203) 469-6900 x117 C. (860) 912-7395 greg@mascola.com
Gail Mastrati Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management P. (401) 222-4700 x2402 gail.mastrati@dem.ri.gov