Artfully Ann's Adventures

April 18, 2015

New lessons learned on paint disposal today.  Here is a warning to all who have paint stored.  Getting rid of it may not be as easy as you think.   

We have dozens of cans of paint left over from the builder and from various painting activities, including exterior painting of our home.  Today we wanted to clean out our garage.  Throwing the paint away was first.  We just figured we would take it down to the hazardous waste dump as we had in the past.  WRONG!  Latex paint is no longer considered hazardous waste in Washington State.

  

 

To dispose of latex paint you have to mix it with kitty litter, spread it out on plastic and let it dry.  Then you can put it in your trash.  Sounds easy enough?  It is not. 

 We found that painters like to put other things back into paint cans.  We found unidentified solvents, brushes, rollers and hazardous materials mixed with the latex.  Kitty litter does not work on these toxic chemicals.

 

I think the folks at the EPA and others at the hazardous waste sites need to rethink their decision to have homeowners and other disposing of their own latex paint.  

John and I are pretty experienced with paint and painting materials and know what paints are what.  Even so John was running upstairs to the computer to check the disposal processes just to make sure we were doing it right.  So many people could get into SO MUCH TROUBLE playing with disposing of paint, thinners and solvents that really are NOT harmless.  I think I have a headache!!  

Be careful out there when you are working with these toxic materials!  We now have a pile of paint cans that are not "oil based" paints that will be going to the hazardous waste dump tomorrow.  I can't wait to have a chat with them!

Bye for now!