New Law May Stop Paint From Ending Up In The Sound

Governor Dannel P. Malloy ceremonially tossed the first gallon of unused paint into a bin at Sherwin-Williams in Branford yesterday, officially launching a new recycling programs that gives consumers a place to return leftover paint cans.

That’s the simple part. The program’s underlying purpose is to provide a way for paint stores to assume responsibility for how their products end up. In the past the state’s towns and cities had those often heavy financial burdens, costing them up to $600,000 each year to help consumers get rid of old or unused paint. 

“It is significant that we are in Branford because of the leadership of the legislators from this area,” the governor said, referring to state Rep. Pat Widlitz (D‑Branford and Guilford), who in the last several years has led the legislative charge to recycle paint, mattresses and electronic devices.

Rep. Widlitz (pictured), the co-chair of the legislature’s finance committee, said she wanted to find a way to change how consumers and towns and cities reduce enormous waste burdens. She has taken on the electronics industry, which, she noted, balked at the start. But the paint industry stepped up to the plate, looking to find a way to solve a perennial problem. She also led the way on mattress recycling. Click here to read about the 2010 effort. The 2011 legislative year was better.

Word of the new program spread fast. Tom Kelly, district sales manager for Sherwin-Williams, said paint cans were being dropped off all day ​“at all our stores. All morning. Homeowners and contractors are coming in. The response has been phenomenal. And it’s been fun.”

Connecticut is the latest state to adopt a paint take-back law. Oregon was the first, followed by California. Rhode Island is expected to implement its program in 2014. Maine, Minnesota and Vermont have approved paint recycling programs. The goal of the paint industry is to add anywhere from one to three states each year.

Gov. Malloy also noted that shoreline towns like Branford faced special paint disposal challenges. All too often, he said, people simply dump their paint in storm water receptacles. That means paint of all sorts, including latex paint, go into Long Island Sound. 

“What we are doing is giving people a friendly alternative to dispose of cans on their own,” he said.

The new paint law, which took effect yesterday, returns the cost of getting rid of a resident’s unwanted or unused paint cans to the paint manufacturer.

Products included in what is termed the ​“Paint Stewardship Program” are oil-based and latex-based paints, deck coatings, waterproofs sealers, primers, varnish, stains and shellac.

The state’s Department of Energy and Environmental Protection (DEEP) was instrumental in creating the plan. Commissioner Daniel C. Esty spoke of the agency’s work and the partnership with legislative leaders and the governor. He confessed, sort of, to having paint storage issues of his own. 

Shifting the end of life management of leftover paint from state and local governments to the paint industry will come by way of a small per-container fee, called the PaintCare Recovery fee, that manufacturers will pay to PaintCare, a not-for-profit product stewardship organization for the paint industry located in Washington, D.C. 

Paint Stewardship Program

Andy Doyle, president and CEO of the American Coatings Association, (pictured here with Reps. Lonnie Reed and Widlitz) a membership organization of paint manufacturers, attended the event. His group was instrumental, Widlitz said, in working with the state to develop what called a paint product stewardship legislation.

“We estimate today that right now over 1 million gallons of leftover paint is stored in basements and garages in Connecticut. And that is enough leftover paint to paint a stripe across the United States some 66 times.”

They key to the program is finding places where consumers may drop off paint cans, even if the paint was not purchased at the store. Doyle said there are now 35 collection points in the state, mostly all of which are Sherman-Williams stores. He expects about 100 by the end of the year, he said. 

Home Depot and Lowe’s, two super-stores that carry paint, are not participating in the program yet. They will still be paying more per can of paint as part of the purchase price in order for this recovery effort to take place.

The fees are based on the size of the paint containers. The typical fee added to the price is 75 cents for a one gallon paint container. More than one gallon to five gallons is $1.60. Under a half pint is zero.

The new law won support from paint manufacturers, businesses, environmental groups and municipalities. Among the law’s sponsors were state Rep. Reed (D‑Branford) and state Sen. Ed Meyer (D‑12), who termed the overall concept one of ​“producer responsibility.” They attended the paint store press conference yesterday along with First Selectman Unk DaRos.

Rep. Reed observed: ​“This is the land of plenty and we have become a disposable society. And the idea that we are going to build in a recycling end of life element into all of our products is really important.”

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