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Paints are by far the largest contributor of materials collected in an HHW collection program. In 2004 Susquehanna County collected and disposed of 7,900 pounds of paint (half of which was latex) at a cost of $3,514 plus set up costs.

Oftentimes, there are alternatives to disposing of your excess paints other than bringing them to an HHW site. Some of the following tips may help in minimizing HHW at your house.

Read the label of the paint for the following information:

1- Type of Paint: Buy oil based paint only when you have to. Latex paint is much more user and environmentally friendly and has become increasingly durable over the last few years. Most indoor and even exterior painting can be effectively accomplished using a latex based paint. 

2- Coverage: Buy only as much paint as you need to complete a project. Typically a gallon of paint will cover 300-400 sq ft of surface. Try to use all the paint, put on another coat where you can , in order to use it up.

3- Clean-up: Latex paints clean up with water and there is little or no residual environmental hazards left over. Oil based paints require mineral spirits or paint thinner to clean up, creating a quantity of HHW that will have to be properly disposed of. When using mineral spirits or paint thinners to clean up, you can recycle them by allowing the paint to sink to the bottom of the container and carefully pouring the solvent into another container for reuse later.

4- Storage life: Oil based paints can last up to 15 years if stored properly and Latex can last up to 10 years. Generally latex is good if it has not been frozen and thawed repeatedly and there are no lumps in it; you can test it by brushing some of the paint on an old newspaper.

Tips on Disposal of your leftover paints.

1- The best way to get rid of your leftover paint, if you cannot use it up, is to give it to someone who can use it. Here is a list of possible places that may take your old paint.  Community service groups, theatre groups, church groups, shelters for the homeless and battered spouses and children, sign painters, neighbors and friends.

2- Solidify the paint, then dispose of it in the trash. if there is only about an inch or so of paint in your can you can just leave the lid off and let the paint solidify, which should take less than a week. For larger quantities of paint pour the paint into a box in one inch layers, letting the paint dry before adding the next layer, until all the paint is solidified. 

3- Another method is to stir equal parts of speedy-dry, kitty litter or some other type of absorbent, with the paint you want to solidify and let dry and then throw the dried paint away in the trash. 

You can Recycle your empty metal paint cans here at the recycling center in our Scrap Metal  container. 

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Send mail to jhibbard@susqco.com with questions or comments about this web site.
Last modified: July 10, 2009