 Product Stewardship Initiative for Paint
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. State and local taxes and fees fund the HHW programs, so the burden for disposal and recycling falls on the general taxpayer.
Targeting paint: Volume, disposal cost, and value as a resource
Statistics compiled by the national Paint Product Stewardship Initiative (PPSI).
- Over 634 million gallons of paint are sold each year in the U.S. (about 2.3 gallons per person).
- 10% of paint sold (64 million gallons) has to be managed through special collection programs as leftover/surplus paint.
- Consumers have leftover paint because it is cheaper in larger quantities, can be saved for touch ups, and they would rather have more paint needed for a project than not enough.
- Paint is collected in high volumes (representing up to 60% of all hazardous household wastes), and expected to increase.
- The cost to manage leftover paint, from collection through recycling or disposal, averages roughly $8 per gallon—about $500 million per year in the U.S. It represents the largest cost for local governments to collect and manage.
National Paint Demonstration Project in Minnesota
In April 2007, Minnesota was chosen to demonstrate an industry-led statewide paint stewardship management system.
This Minnesota paint demonstration project is the result of over three years of dialogue between industry and government representatives that were stakeholders in the national Paint Product Stewardship Initiative (PPSI). This voluntary initiative set out to create a national paint management system to relieve government paint management costs across the United States.
Creating a national model. The Minnesota pilot project will be planned by national and local stakeholder groups to create replicable and relevant templates to be used by other states. The Minnesota pilot will be implemented no later than July 1, 2008, with roll out in other states beginning on July 1, 2009.
- Effective education to eliminate or reduce paint waste.
- Creation of additional paint collection points, increasing volumes of paint collected,
- Examination of paint management efficiencies and cost effectiveness
- Support for emerging recycled paint markets.
- Funding: A consumer eco-fee collected and managed by an industry-created Paint Stewardship Organization (PSO).
- A formal Memorandum of Understanding (October 2007) includes details on guidelines and schedules.
For more information: Leslie Wilson, Minnesota project coordinator, 952-769-7308 or lwilson@co.carver.mn.us.
 Issue Backgrounder
 The Paint Industry Works toward a Nationally Coordinated System for Post-Consumer Paint Management (350Kb)
Background information on the National Paint & Coatings Association’s efforts with industry to address post-consumer paint management and the issues that surround it. (Feb. 2008)
Stakeholder meeting
A meeting was held in December 2007 for stakeholders in the demonstration project.
Presentation to stakeholders (450Kb)
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