Product stewardship for paint

Legislation passed in Minnesota

• Paint: Product stewardship program for architectural paint (115A.1415)
  Minnesota Session Laws, Chapter 14: For "architectural paint" sold in Minnesota, producers must, individually or through a stewardship organization, implement and finance a statewide product stewardship program that manages architectural paint by reducing the paint's waste generation, promoting its reuse and recycling, and providing for negotiation and execution of agreements to collect, transport, and process the architectural paint for end-of-life recycling and reuse.

Learning from established programs

The program in Minnesota is expected to be consistent with the paint stewardship programs operating or under design in four states. Those interested in program implementation in Minnesota will be informed by these links to other state programs, statutes, stewardship plans submitted by PaintCare, and program outcomes.

• PaintCare
  Information on the state stewardship programs for paint: Oregon (2010), California (2012), Connecticut (2013), Rhode Island (2014). Also details industry effort to promote appropriate purchasing to reduce the generation of unwanted paint.

• California paint stewardship program
• Connecticut Paint Stewardship Initiative
• Oregon paint stewardship program
• Rhode Island paint stewardship law (2012)
• Vermont enacts paint take-back and recycling bill (article)

Expectations

Based on the experience of other state programs, the MPCA anticipates a number of benefits from a product stewardship approach in Minnesota.

• Expand the number of recycling locations for paint, hopefully increasing the overall amount of paint recycled
• Create an incentive for retailers to collect paint, particularly smaller entities
• Transition from government-funded collection and recycling programs to one funded by consumers and manufacturers
• The paint industry, through the stewardship organization PaintCare, will design and manage the program
• Support economic development opportunities for paint recyclers

Background

Paint was selected for product stewardship initiatives based on its volume in the waste stream, costs to manage, and high potential for increased recovery and recycling. Currently, paint is collected and recycled through Minnesota's household hazardous waste (HHW) collection programs: Minnesota’s counties spend approximately $5 million annually managing leftover paint. State and local taxes and fees fund the HHW programs, so the burden for disposal and recycling falls on the general taxpayer.