PCPA recently finished a two-year process of kicking some toxic characters off of its stages. You might have heard of some of them: phosphoric acid, mineral spirits, oil-based paint, asphalt and non-rechargeable batteries, plus hundreds of gallons of latex paint. These unused items were an accumulation from the past 20 years and were either past their prime or no longer fit into PCPA’s sustainability goals. All of the toxic items were taken to Metro’s hazardous waste facilities where they were either recycled or safely disposed of, while the latex paint was reprocessed into MetroPaint, a recycled interior/exterior latex product, available for purchase at the MetroPaint Store on Swan Island.
Recycling and safely disposing items that are potentially bad for the environment and people is a priority for PCPA. New standards have also been set in place for the way the venues use certain items. For example, latex paint with low VOCs (volatile organic compounds) has replaced oil paint except in heavy traffic areas, exterior foot traffic marking and exterior decking. Also, all one-use batteries have been replaced with rechargeable ones, therefore limiting the amount of batteries that need to be recycled. This is a great example of how PCPA is choosing to reduce its impact on the planet and making its venues safer for patrons.