Painting is one of the easiest and most effective ways to redesign your space. Oftentimes, however, you usually end up with cans of leftover paint that pile up in the garage or basement. You may be tempted to just throw away those leftover colors, but did you know that oil-based paint is classified as hazardous waste and must be disposed of appropriately?
Luckily, there are paint recycling centers around where you can drop off your used paint cans. Not only are you helping the environment, but you’ll also get to maximize your leftover paint. With that in mind, here are three easy ways to recycle used paint.
Many people can benefit from your leftover paint so if you have lots of still usable paint, you might want to consider donating it.
Talk to your friends and relatives who might be conducting their paint jobs and could use the extra paint. You can also contact your community’s charitable organizations, churches, local theaters, local schools, and other establishments that could benefit from your leftover paint.
However, if your leftover paint is all dried up already and is no longer wanted, call your community’s local sanitation office for proper disposal. Remember, don’t just throw your leftover paint along with your regular garbage, its hazardous chemicals in the paint will end up in landfills and pollute the environment.
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) estimates that about 10 percent of the house paint purchased in the United States yearly is thrown out. That’s around 65 to 69 million gallons of paint — such a huge, yet avoidable waste.
Get the most out of your money and save that paint for later. Your home will likely need paint jobs from time to time as part of maintenance, so why not save a few bucks by using leftover paint?
It’s important to note though that you have to properly store leftover paint so it remains usable. Make sure to check the paint labels and mark leftovers for easier identification when reusing.
If you have an open can of paint, cover it and seal the lid tightly so that it doesn’t dry up, then store it in a cool and dry place. If you have small amounts of paint stored in big cans, you can repackage the leftovers in smaller cans or jars and seal the lids tightly.
Remember, paint stores better when it is less exposed to air.
Don’t have the time to deal with your leftover paint? No need to worry, leave it to the professionals.
You can contact the nearest paint recycling center from your home to collect the leftover paint from you. Some recycling paint centers also allow drop-offs for leftover paints just as long as the leftovers are still usable.
At UCI Paints, we offer a paint recycling program to recycle any used paint in an environmentally friendly manner. We work with local communities to recycle old paint into new paint.
UCI Paints also provides top-quality paint products, on-site inspections, and hands-on customer services to the South Florida community. With us, your space gets a new paint job minus the burden of stressing out over what to do with leftover paint.
Want to know more about how you can recycle leftover paints with the help of professional painters? Contact us at UCI Paints for premium paint products and services in South Florida.
We offer color design consultation, custom paint formulation, paint inspection, and Dekotek classes. Call us now at 954-581-6060 or send a message through our contact form to get started. You can also email us at customerservice@ucipaints.com to know more about our programs and services.
