October 2014 Residential Communications Resources
Topic: Paint
___________________________________________________________
TITLE: No Matter the Color, Make Your Paint Green
TEASER
Planning, storage and disposal tips make beautifying your spaces a snap.
BLOG/ARTICLE
A fresh coat of paint does wonders. With a little planning, you can beautify your
surroundings the “green” way. Here are a few tips for reducing, reusing and
recycling paint.
Measure Twice, Buy Once
Carefully measure the space to be painted and determine how many coats of paint
are needed before purchasing paint. See the can label for information.
Also, you can use this general guideline: purchase 1 gallon of paint for every 400
square feet of area to paint. Ask your paint retailer for additional help.
A handy “buy right” resource is offered by PaintCare.
Store Paint Properly to Keep It in Good Condition
You may want some leftover paint for touch ups. Here are some tips to make sure
it’s usable when you need it:

Keep usable products free of contaminants such as mold and rust. Put a
sheet of plastic wrap over the can before putting on the lid to keep rust out.

Shelf life of an open can is largely determined by how the can is stored. Keep
leftover paint, stain or varnish in the original container with a tight lid on it.

Store paint, stain or varnish in a cool, dry area at a temperature above 40º
F. Don't keep paint in an unheated garage. Don’t allow latex paint to freeze.

Vapors can accumulate in closed spaces, so be sure to store products in a
well-ventilated area to protect your health and reduce the risk of fire.

Store products away from flames, sparks or heat sources such as a furnace
or water heater.
These materials were provided by the Solid Waste Management Coordinating Board (SWMCB) as a
part of its Rethink Recycling outreach efforts. Please help us track the use of Rethink Recycling
materials by sending an e-mail to Info@RethinkRecycling.com with a description of how the
materials were used, the date(s) published, and the estimated reach.
Reuse Tips
Maintain your painting supplies so they will last for many projects. Clean brushes
and rollers with dish soap and water for latex paint. For oil-based paint, clean them
with turpentine or oil.
Planning to paint the same color again tomorrow? Instead of cleaning your brush
and roller, place them in a plastic bag or plastic wrap, remove as much air as
possible and put in the refrigerator. They’ll be ready to use the next day.
Check with your county's solid waste management office for reuse opportunities.
They offer paint, especially latex paint, in their free product reuse area at
household hazardous waste drop-off sites. You can find location information at
RethinkRecycling.com.
Disposal Information
Take liquid paint, stain and varnish to a county household hazardous waste drop-off
site.
It's OK to throw away empty paint cans--plastic or metal. Leave the lid off to show
that the can is empty and dry.
Ask your recycling service provider if empty metal paint cans that held latex paint
are accepted curbside for recycling. If not, dispose of empty latex paint cans (lids
off) in the garbage.
You can dry out small amounts of latex paint (less than 1 inch left in the can) in a
well-ventilated area. Simply remove the lid to let the paint dry out. Stir occasionally
to speed up the process. Place the cans (lids off) with completely dried paint in your
garbage.
If paint rollers and brushes cannot be reused, dry them out and place them in the
garbage.
Household Hazardous Waste
Oil-based products typically require the use of thinner or other solvents for
cleaning. Solvents can be flammable and/or toxic, and should never be thrown
away, poured down the drain or dumped on the ground.
For more information on proper disposal of oil-based products, varnish, thinners or
other solvents, check with your county recycling staff or look up drop-off sites at
RethinkRecycling.com, on the household hazardous waste page.
___________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________
These materials were provided by the Solid Waste Management Coordinating Board (SWMCB) as a
part of its Rethink Recycling outreach efforts. Please help us track the use of Rethink Recycling
materials by sending an e-mail to Info@RethinkRecycling.com with a description of how the
materials were used, the date(s) published, and the estimated reach.
October Social Media
FACEBOOK
1) New blog at RethinkRecycling.com—No matter the color, make your paint
green. BLOG LINK
2) Check out this handy resource for figuring out how much paint to buy.
(http://www.paintcare.org/waste-less/#/buy-right)
3) One paint manufacturer says the 2014 color of the year is “breath of air,” a
shade of light blue. When you reduce, reuse or recycle your paint, every
color helps protect our air!
4) Top 5 tips for storing paint. #1 Put a sheet of plastic wrap over the can
before putting on the lid to keep rust out. (blog link)
5) Top 5 tips for storing paint. #2 Keep leftover paint, stain or varnish in the
original container with a tight lid on it. (blog link)
6) Top 5 tips for storing paint. #3 Store paint, stain or varnish in a dry area at a
temperature above 40º F. Don't keep paint in an unheated garage. Don’t
allow latex paint to freeze. (blog link)
7) Top 5 tips for storing paint. #4Vapors can accumulate in closed spaces, so be
sure to store products in a well-ventilated area to protect your health and
reduce the risk of fire. (blog link)
8) Top 5 tips for storing paint. #5 Store products away from flames, sparks or
heat sources such as a furnace or water heater. (blog link)
9) Looking for a drop-off center for your leftover paint, varnish, solvents?
http://www.rethinkrecycling.com/residents/household-hazardous-wastedrop-sites
10)
Pumpkin disposal? Check with your city or county recycling coordinator
for compost of organics recycling sites that accept them. http://bit.ly/dravG3
11)
Remember to remove candles and decorations before dropping off
your Halloween pumpkins at compost or organics recycling sites.
12)
To use up your finished compost, you can mix grass seed in with the
finished compost and top dress it into areas of the lawn that burnt out over
These materials were provided by the Solid Waste Management Coordinating Board (SWMCB) as a
part of its Rethink Recycling outreach efforts. Please help us track the use of Rethink Recycling
materials by sending an e-mail to Info@RethinkRecycling.com with a description of how the
materials were used, the date(s) published, and the estimated reach.
the summer, or where the grass is a bit thin and you want to thicken it up.
http://www.rethinkrecycling.com/residents/backyard-composting/wintercomposting
13)
Wondering how to get your compost bin ready for winter?
http://www.rethinkrecycling.com/residents/backyard-composting/wintercomposting
14)
Does the sight of colorful fall leaves make you think about backyard
composting? Get the dirt here.
http://www.rethinkrecycling.com/residents/backyard-composting/recipegood-clean-dirt
TWITTER
1) New blog at RethinkRecycling.com—No matter the color, make your paint
green. BLOG LINK
2) Check out this handy resource for figuring out how much paint to buy.
(http://www.paintcare.org/waste-less/#/buy-right)
3) One paint manufacturer says the 2014 color of the year is “breath of air,”
a shade of light blue. When you reduce, reuse or recycle your #paint,
every color helps protect our air!
4) Top 5 tips for storing paint. 1 Put a sheet of plastic wrap over the can
before putting on the lid to keep rust out. (blog link)
5) Top 5 tips for storing paint. 2 Keep leftover paint, stain or varnish in the
original container with a tight lid on it. (blog link)
6) Top 5 tips for storing paint. 3 Store paint, stain or varnish in a dry area at
a temperature above 40º F. Don't keep paint in an unheated garage.
Don’t allow latex paint to freeze. (blog link)
7) Top 5 tips for storing paint. 4Vapors can accumulate in closed spaces, so
be sure to store products in a well-ventilated area to protect your health
and reduce the risk of fire. (blog link)
8) Top 5 tips for storing paint. 5 Store products away from flames, sparks or
heat sources such as a furnace or water heater. (blog link)
9) Looking for a #drop-offcenter for your #leftoverpaint, #varnish,
#solvents? http://www.rethinkrecycling.com/residents/householdhazardous-waste-drop-sites
10)
Pumpkin disposal? Check with your city or county recycling coordinator
for compost of organics recycling sites that accept them.
http://bit.ly/dravG3
These materials were provided by the Solid Waste Management Coordinating Board (SWMCB) as a
part of its Rethink Recycling outreach efforts. Please help us track the use of Rethink Recycling
materials by sending an e-mail to Info@RethinkRecycling.com with a description of how the
materials were used, the date(s) published, and the estimated reach.
11)
Remember to remove candles and decorations before dropping off
your Halloween pumpkins at compost or organics recycling sites.
12)
Mix grass seed with finished compost and top dress it into areas of the
lawn that burnt out over the summer.
http://www.rethinkrecycling.com/residents/backyard-composting/wintercomposting
13)
Wondering how to get your compost bin ready for winter?
http://www.rethinkrecycling.com/residents/backyard-composting/wintercomposting
14)
Does the sight of colorful fall leaves make you think about backyard
composting? Get the dirt here.
http://www.rethinkrecycling.com/residents/backyard-composting/recipegood-clean-dirt
###
These materials were provided by the Solid Waste Management Coordinating Board (SWMCB) as a
part of its Rethink Recycling outreach efforts. Please help us track the use of Rethink Recycling
materials by sending an e-mail to Info@RethinkRecycling.com with a description of how the
materials were used, the date(s) published, and the estimated reach.