PaintCare says it has started a new paint-recycling program in Syracuse and Central New York, allowing businesses, households, and schools to recycle leftover paint, stain, and varnish “conveniently and sustainably.” 

PaintCare is a Washington, D.C.–based nonprofit organization created by the paint industry through the American Coatings Association (ACA) to manage leftover paint in states that have enacted paint-stewardship laws, per the group’s May 23 announcement. 

Seven drop-off sites in the immediate Syracuse area have opened Since May 1 with additional locations in Madison, Oswego, and Cayuga counties. They include one large volume site — Miller Environmental Group at 532 State Fair Blvd. in Syracuse — that accepts 50 gallons or more, PaintCare said. 

The nonprofit’s website includes a “Drop-off Site Locator” function with information on each site’s address, hours, and requirements. All sites accept up to five gallons of paint from each customer, and some sites may take in more. 

PaintCare encourages those planning to drop off paint to call ahead to ensure the site can accept the amount and type of paint they want to recycle and confirm the site’s hours of operation.

“We’re excited to launch our paint stewardship program in Syracuse so that households, businesses and institutions can drop off leftover paint at their convenience, all year long,” Andrew Radin, PaintCare’s New York program manager, said. “We’re grateful for the important role that paint and hardware stores, as well as local government facilities, will play in making sure this environmental initiative is successful by voluntarily serving as drop-off sites. We look forward to adding additional partners in the coming months as we aim to recover and recycle over 1 million gallons of leftover paint each year.”

The organization plans to expand to more than 300 drop-off sites across New York in the coming months through partnerships with paint retail stores and local-government facilities.

New York’s paint-recycling program follows a paint-stewardship law that the state lawmakers approved in 2019. The law ensures that everyone who produces, sells, and uses paint “works together to minimize, reuse, and recycle unwanted paint.” 

The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation provides oversight for the program, per a PaintCare news release. 

PaintCare said it has launched programs across the country following passage of similar laws in California, Colorado, Connecticut, the District of Columbia, Maine, Minnesota, Rhode Island, Oregon, Vermont, and Washington.

Program details

PaintCare says it “makes it convenient” to recycle leftover paint by establishing drop-off sites at local-government facilities and paint retailers near residential neighborhoods. Those interested can find the locations by visiting PaintCare’s online site locator at www.paintcare.org, or by calling PaintCare’s hotline number at (855) PAINT09. 

Most PaintCare sites accept both latex- and oil-based architectural paint products, including paints, stains, sealers, and varnishes. Paint must be dropped off in its original container with its original manufacturer’s label. A full list of products accepted by the program is available on PaintCare’s website at www.paintcare.org/products.

Businesses and residents don’t have to pay a fee when dropping off their unwanted paint for recycling, PaintCare said. A small fee on the sale of new paint — called the PaintCare fee — “funds all aspects” of the program including paint collection, transportation, processing and public education. 

The PaintCare fee in New York varies by container size: $0.00 for half pint or smaller; $0.45 for larger than half pint up to smaller than one gallon; $0.95 for one gallon up to two gallons; $1.95 for larger than two gallons up to five gallons.

The new program is expected to manage more than 1.1 million gallons of paint in its first year. 

In New York, 36.6 million gallons of paint are sold annually, and it is estimated that about 10 percent of household paint goes unused. PaintCare says it helps ensure the “highest, best use” for paint collected in the program. Most of the paint PaintCare receives is latex-based and can be remixed into recycled-content paint by processors. 

To date, PaintCare says it has processed more than 50 million gallons of paint nationally and “saved state and local governments millions of dollars.”

“Paint products can harm the environment if not managed properly,” Basil Seggos, DEC commissioner, said in the release. “New York State’s Paint Stewardship Program will simplify the process for those looking to dispose of paint by providing a collection network of paint retailers, local government facilities, and reuse stores at more than 300 drop-off sites across the state.”

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) recently announced 254.5 million in brownfields grants to 265 communities, including several in the Central New York region.

Brownfield projects can range from cleaning up buildings with asbestos or lead contamination to assessing and cleaning up abandoned properties that once managed dangerous chemicals. Once cleaned up, those properties can be redeveloped into productive uses.

“With today’s announcement, we’re turning blight into might for communities across America,” EPA Administrator Michael S. Regan said in a news release. “EPA’s Brownfields Program breathes new life into communities by helping to turn contaminated and potentially dangerous sites into productive economic contributors.”

Applicants selected for funding in the Central New York region are Herkimer County Industrial Development Agency, which received a $500,000 assessment grant; Mohawk Valley EDGE, allocated a $1 million revolving loan-fund grant; and Oswego County, a recipient of a $500,000 assessment grant.

“The Herkimer County IDA truly appreciates the continued support given by EPA, and we look forward to working on many projects throughout the course of this assessment grant,” John J. Piseck, CEO of the IDA, said. “Herkimer County continues to invest in brownfield redevelopment to get properties back to being productive. With this grant funding we look to support many community brownfield projects.”

“MV EDGE has worked for nearly two decades to build a brownfields coalition across the Mohawk Valley, so this $1 million revolving-loan fund arrives at a uniquely opportune moment in time,” Mohawk Valley EDGE President Steven J. DiMeo said. “The region has solid economic momentum as there is more private sector investment interest for reclaiming our urban centers and village main streets, redeveloping our industrial corridors, and revitalizing our waterfronts across Oneida and Herkimer counties. EDGE is grateful to the U.S. EPA for this award and the opportunity it provides to reimagine our region’s economic future.”

“Oswego County has a long history of working with the EPA and the (New York State Department of Environmental Conservation) to address brownfield properties,” Jim Weatherup, chairman of the Oswego County Legislature, said. “Rehabilitation of these sites not only helps to increase tax revenue on those properties, but it also can inspire new investment and the jobs that come with it. We appreciate the EPA’s help and look forward to the positive impact this program will have on our local and regional economy.”

The EPA announcement includes about $180 million from the $1.5 billion in funds from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law to help turn brownfield sites across the nation into hubs of economic growth and job creation, along with more than $75 million from fiscal-year 2022 appropriations.

The funding includes $112.8 million for 183 assessment grants to provide funding for brownfield inventories, planning, environmental assessments, and community outreach; $18.2 million for 36 cleanup grants to fund cleanup activities at brownfield sites owned by the recipient; $16.3 million for 17 revolving-loan fund grants to provide loans and subgrants to carry out cleanup activities at brownfield sites; and $107 million for high-performing revolving-loan fund grants to help communities continue work on cleanup and redevelopment projects.

The EPA defines a brownfield as a property for which the expansion, redevelopment, or reuse may be complicated by the presence or potential presence of hazardous substance, pollutant, or contaminant.