How to Dispose of Old Paint

A common problem I see as a painter is homeowners with a bunch of old paint in the garage. Who knows when it was used or what color is in the can, but it would be great to get rid of it.

Don't throw it away!

Old paint can be donated, reused, recycled, or as a last resort... properly disposed at a licensed facility.

It is illegal to dispose of paint in the trash or down storm or sewer drains, because paint can contaminate drinking water and ocean water. Special collection programs have been established to accept paint for recycling or proper disposal.

Here in San Diego County, there are several locations that accept old paint. You can find the closest location to you at http://www.sdcounty.ca.gov/deh/chd/hhwfacilities.html

Reuse Options
If you have leftover, unwanted paint in good condition, consider contacting a local charity, high school drama department, or church to see if they will accept paint for reuse. Examples of nonprofit organizations that may be interested in leftover paint include local Habitat for Humanity chapters and Keep America Beautiful affiliates.

Recycling Options
Local paint reuse and recycling programs collect paint from residents and commercial businesses. The paint is then taken to a company that will then recycle it into recycled-content paint. This type of paint is created through two processes - reprocessing and reblending.

Reprocessed paint is mixed with virgin materials, tested and then packaged for distribution or sale.

Reblended paint is remixed, screened and packaged for distribution or sale. Typically reblended paint comes in only a handful of basic neutral colors. It has a much higher percentage of recycled content paint then reprocessed paint, which may influence its overall quality. Reblended paint can be used for interior/exterior painting, graffiti abatement, and local improvement projects.

When disposing of paint:

• Read the label and follow for the manufacturer’s instructions for proper disposal.
• Check with your local recycling or household hazardous waster coordinator regarding acceptable practices in your community for the disposal of dried latex paint.
• Empty containers may be thrown in the trash. A container is considered “empty” if no paint can be removed with a brush or by holding it upside down.

Solar Paint Could Produce 4,500 GW-Hours A Year!

Universities have been working with steel companies for years. These companies produce those marvelously beautiful sheets of steel that cover buildings all over the world. While working on ways to help steel not degrade in sunlight, a Swansea student figured out how to make paint actually harness that energy and covert it to electricity.

The University announced that the 100 million square feet of steel that they produce could add 4,500 gigawatts to the grid annually. To that, I say "whoops... you seem to have made a typo," because I'm pretty sure they mean 4,500 gigawatt-hours.

But that is still an enormous number. 4,500 gigawatts is about a third of the generating capacity of the entire world... so I think it's safe to assume that every single publication (and there are lots) running this story has overlooked a pretty glaring typo.

The steel would be "painted' with the solar cells in the factory, hopefully at a rate no slower than current paints are applied. The research has spawned a $3M grant and has been expanded to include several universities including Bangor University, University of Bath, and the Imperial College London.

The technology remains lab-bound for now. Scientists working on the project hope to have 5% efficient solar steel paint in the relatively near future.

Two questions remain: Will it be worth redesigning the electricity grid to accept and pay for power from such small providers? And will the added cost of the solar "panels" and a DC to AC inverter prohibit the technology?

See the original press release (complete with glaring typo) at Swansea University