June 30th, 2025
For over 15 years, PaintCare and the Product Stewardship Institute (PSI) have worked together to support convenient paint recycling opportunities for households and businesses across 11 program states. PaintCare operates paint stewardship programs in CA, CT, CO, DC, ME, MN, NY, OR, RI, VT, and WA. Two additional programs are currently being planned in Illinois and Maryland. To date, PaintCare has collected 82 million gallons of paint, keeping it out of the waste stream.
Q&A With PaintCare
Q: For those newer to paint stewardship, can you give us a brief overview of PaintCare’s mission and how it operates within the framework of state-level extended producer responsibility (EPR) laws?
A: PaintCare is the nonprofit organization that plans and operates paint stewardship programs in states that pass the paint stewardship law. In these program states, recycling paint is made more convenient for households, businesses, contractors, and others with unwanted, leftover paint. PaintCare operates a network of more than 2,500 drop-off sites to make it easy to responsibly manage leftover paint and keep it out of the waste stream. PaintCare currently collects more than 8 million gallons annually from 11 programs.
The paint stewardship program is funded by a fee, called the PaintCare Fee, which is applied to the purchase price of each container of new paint sold in each state that has passed the paint stewardship law. The fee is paid to PaintCare by paint manufacturers and is then added to the wholesale and retail purchase price of paint, passing the cost of managing leftover paint to everyone who buys and uses it to ensure a level playing field.
The fee funds all aspects of the paint stewardship program. This includes paint collection, transportation, recycling, public outreach, and program administration, as well as managing “legacy” paint—material that has been accumulating in homes and businesses since before the program began. There is no charge for dropping off paint at a PaintCare drop-off site.
Q: As more states consider EPR legislation, PaintCare is frequently referred to as a working model. What are the most important factors that have contributed to its long-term success, and what insights could be valuable for emerging EPR programs across other product categories?
A: The PaintCare model has three key elements that contribute to its success: industry commitment, close coordination with stakeholders, and a clear vision for delivering a cost-effective and convenient program that maintains high standards.
It cannot be overstated how important it has been to hold fast to the principles established during the PSI-structured dialogue between ACA and stakeholders in the early 2000s. It shaped the coatings industry’s commitment to making PaintCare what it is today. It established the need for industry to sustainably fund program operations through the PaintCare fee, dedicated to a public-purpose non-profit, and forged the premise for building on a foundation of state and local partnerships.
Having a predictable, mutually agreed upon structure has allowed PaintCare to focus on details that matter, specifically considering what will make the program work best for each state. Being able to prioritize convenience and cost-effective service delivery should be a goal for every EPR program — and not merely for operational efficiency. For an emerging EPR program, the ability to maintain consistency and focus is critical.
Q: EPR doesn’t stop at collection. What happens to the leftover paint once it enters your system—and how does PaintCare contribute to reuse, recycling, and proper end-of-life management?
A: Paint collected by PaintCare is managed according to a policy of highest, best use. This means that some of the better-quality paint is made available to consumers through reuse programs, and most of the paint is recycled.
Water-based products (i.e., latex paint) make up 86% of the paint collected. Most of this paint is sent to processors and used to create recycled-content paint products. Last year 4% was reused, 79% was recycled into new paint, 4% was used as alternative daily landfill cover, 12% was landfilled, and less than 1% was sent to a waste-to-energy plant.
Oil-based products (i.e., alkyd paint) make up 14% of the paint collected. Most of this paint is used as fuel at cement factories. Last year 5% was reused, 76% was recycled into new paint, 1% was recycled into new paint, and 18% was sent to a hazardous waste incinerator.
Q: What’s next for PaintCare? Are there new programs, state rollouts, or innovations on the horizon that PSI members and stakeholders should watch for?
A: PaintCare is planning two additional paint stewardship programs in Illinois and Maryland. With the addition of Illinois and Maryland, PaintCare will be operating 13 programs in 12 states and the District of Columbia, bringing paint recycling to about one third of the US population. The Illinois Paint Stewardship Act was passed in 2023, and the program is expected to launch in December 2025. The Maryland Paint Stewardship Act was passed in 2024, and the program is expected to launch in April 2026.
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For more information about PaintCare, please reach out to Abby Horick at ahorick@paint.org.
