Old household paint disposal?

[observer]

For household paint that hasn't been used in years and you don't want any longer, how do you " properly " dispose of such paint? If it matters, I have trash pickup and recycling pickup.

[CorFowler]

You have to poor it out on something like plywood, tarp or plastic or if you have time just open the lid and just let it dry. Basically you cannot dipose of wet paint as long as it is dry it is fine to throw in the trash.

[Andrew Duane]

It depends if it is oil or latex, at least around here.

For latex: open up and let it dry, or soak cat litter into it. Then seal it back up and take it out with the rest of your trash.

For oil: take it to one of the haz-mat disposal days. They run them here about 4 times/year for just such items.

[M Q]

Check with your local city or county about disposal of "household hazardous waste". Maybe you can google "household hazardous waste" and you city or county name. Most localities have some sort of program to keep such stuff out of landfills and get it recycled properly. Latex paint, once hardened, may be put in landfills. Other paint, stains, and solvents may not.

[SteveB]

Usually at the landfill or pickup points, they have a trailer for paints and nasty stuff. Our big city (Las Vegas) even has one amnesty day a year where you can bring in ANYTHING. They get some interesting items, including live ordnance. Make a couple of phone calls.

They tell you that you can't dump it in the landfill, but you CAN drop it at their trailer that deals with just such items.

Steve

[jmagerl]

1) maybe your county or Township has a paint reuse program. They take old paint, mix it all together and give the result away free.

2) Leave the lid off the can for several months so the paint can harden

3) paint the inside of your garage

4) Go to a local paint store and buy a packet of paint soldifier. Sold specifically for paint disposal

5) Check out your state's EPA web site for the nearest hazardous waste disposal site

[HeyBub]

Leave it with an agency of government.

The best one I've found is a local schoolyard. At night.

They take everything.

[Phisherman]

I use such paint for bird houses, garages, attic and storage spaces, etc. You can sell it at a garage sale for others to use. If any of these are not appealing, then allow the paint to evaporate, get hard, and throw it in the trash.

[Jim Yanik]

"HeyBub" wrote in news: [e-mail]:

I hope people start using YOUR yard for the same purpose.

[Bumpy]

Get some plastic garbage bags and kitty litter, no special brand. Put enough litter in each bag. pour your paint in the bags with the litter. Mix the paint in the bags with the litter with a paint mixing stick. Leave out in the sun, for about an hour, and you will have dry mounds out paint. Idea given to me from my recycle center.

[HeyBub]

I'm not an agency of government!

If you don't like schoolyards, do this. Take the can to the police station. Set in the middle of the floor. Point to it and say: "This is for you, John Law!" and bolt for the door. What a hoot!

[Mamba]

With any luck your community will have a recycling center for such products. Please do NOT do the dry-it-out-and-throw-it-out approach. That just puts another very nasty element in the garbage dumps.

In Portland, all partial paint cans can be recycled, and the center combines many compatible types into generic primers or base coats, or just for a cheap protective cover.

[Malcolm Hoar]

It depends on where you live. Call your local City Hall or garbage company. Both organizations are generally very helpful when presented with the question "How do I properly dispose of...".

[alvinamorey]

Why waste it if it's still usable. GIVE IT TO SOMEONE NEEDY..... Post some FREE ads at local store cork boards, possibly a free ad on a radio station or newspaper. Give to a local St. Vincent De Paul store if they will take it. Maybe there's a local food pantry where you can take it to, and needy people can take it if they want. If it's not usable, let latex paint dry and dispose in trash. Oil based paints can often be taken to recycling centers who often have yearly pickups of chemicals.

[Frank]

Local rules used to allow up to a gallon of anything in trash. Not sure if holds today. There may be special days for bringing stuff in and you should check with them. Biggest concern is volatile solvents, so it depends on paint type. Water based latex would cause no problems in dump but oil based may be considered a hazard.

[aemeijers]

'Dry it out and throw it away' IS an approved disposal method for latex paint, but NOT for oil-based.

But having said that- see if your city or area recycling orgs do the trick of combining latex dregs together in big buckets (which always comes out beige for some reason), and reuses it or sells it at token prices for applications where color doesn't matter. (like park restrooms that have be painted 2-3 times a year, etc.)

Other solution is Habitat for Humanity ReStore, if the can is full enough for a small project, and hasn't been frozen or contaminated.

Best disposal method is always use it up for intended purpose.

aem sends...