Gov. John Kitzhaber signed a bill Monday that makes a statewide paint recycling program permanent. This is good news for Metro-run MetroPaint, which started remanufacturing and donating recycled latex paint in 1992, and began selling it commercially in 1999.
PaintCare, a nonprofit, operates the program. It was born out of 2009's Oregon Paint Stewardship Pilot Program legislation, a product-stewardship initiative requiring paint manufacturers to take responsibility for the entire lifecycle of their products, from production to disposal.
"The paint industry has done a great job of stepping up and providing a solution," said Jim Quinn, manager of Metro's hazardous waste program.
In 2010, PaintCare contracted MetroPaint to be the primary recycler of post-consumer latex paint. Now, MetroPaint takes in more than 300,000 gallons of latex paint each year from all over Oregon, recycling it into new, value-priced indoor/outdoor paint in 18 colors.
PaintCare collection sites make it easier for individuals and businesses to recycle paint, and that convenience has led to an increase in the volume of paint the program takes in. In turn, MetroPaint is making more recycled paint, selling record amounts to meet the growing demand and helping to offset environmental impacts of making new paint, such as water usage and extraction of raw materials.
MetroPaint receives about $1.2 million in revenue under the PaintCare contract. This arrangement, together with the revenue from paint sales, covers the costs of operating the MetroPaint program.
The original paint stewardship bill passed with a 2014 sunset. The bill the governor just signed makes the program permanent and includes improvements from lessons learned during the first few years of its implementation, including expansion of paint collection sites and increased education about the program.
First established in Oregon, PaintCare is now active in California and Connecticut, with plans for implementation in four additional states over the next two years.