MAYVILLE, N.Y.: – The Chautauqua County Department of Public Facilities is pleased to announce a new paint recycling program that allows households and businesses in Chautauqua County to recycle leftover paint, stain, and varnish conveniently and sustainably.
PaintCare, a nonprofit stewardship program created by the paint industry, provides sites in Chautauqua County where households and businesses can recycle unwanted paint all year round. Local drop-off locations can be found by visiting www.paintcare.org/drop-off-sites . All sites accept up to 5 gallons per visit. It is recommended that residents call ahead to confirm business hours and ask if they can accept the type and amount of paint they would like to recycle.
Sites do not accept aerosols (spray paint), leaking, unlabeled, or empty containers. Businesses, organizations, and households with 100 gallons or more can request a free large volume pickup by visiting https://www.paintcare.org/lvp-request/ or by calling PaintCare at (855) PAINT09.
Chautauqua County joins a new paint recovery effort that is part of a larger statewide program managed by PaintCare, a nonprofit organization created by the paint industry through the American Coatings Association (ACA) to manage leftover paint in states that have enacted paint stewardship laws. PaintCare plans to expand to more than 250 drop-off sites across New York State in the coming months through partnerships with paint retail stores.
“The new PaintCare program helps our community reduce waste, increase recycling, and minimize governmental costs to handle and dispose of leftover paint,” said Chautauqua County Executive PJ Wendel. “We applaud the local businesses that have joined with PaintCare to make it easy for residents and businesses to recycle paint all year long.”
New York’s paint recycling program comes in the wake of a paint stewardship law that was passed by the State Legislature in 2019. The law ensures that everyone who produces, sells, and uses paint works together to minimize, reuse, and recycle unwanted paint.
PaintCare has launched successful programs across the country following passage of similar laws in California, Colorado, Connecticut, the District of Columbia, Maine, Minnesota, Rhode Island, Oregon, Vermont, and Washington.
“We’re glad to expand our paint stewardship program into Chautauqua County so that households, businesses, and schools can easily dispose of paint responsibly and sustainably,” said Andrew Radin, PaintCare’s New York State Program Manager. “We’re grateful for the important role that our partners in Chautauqua County play in making sure this initiative is successful. We look forward to adding new sites in the coming months as we roll the program out across the state.”
How It Works
PaintCare makes it convenient to recycle leftover paint by establishing drop-off sites at paint and hardware retailers near residential neighborhoods. These locations are easy to find by visiting PaintCare’s online site locator at www.paintcare.org, or by calling PaintCare’s hotline number at (855) PAINT09.
Most PaintCare sites accept both latex- and oil-based architectural paint products, including paints, stains, sealers, and varnishes. Paint must be dropped off in its original container with its original manufacturer’s label. A full list of products accepted by the program is available on PaintCare’s website at www.paintcare.org/products.
All sites accept up to five gallons of paint from each customer, and some sites may accept more. Those planning to drop off paint are encouraged to call ahead to ensure the site can accept the amount and type of paint they want to recycle and confirm hours of operation.
There is no cost to residents and businesses when dropping off their unwanted paint for recycling. A small fee on the sale of new paint—called the PaintCare fee—funds all aspects of the program including paint collection, transportation, processing, and public education. The PaintCare fee in New York varies by container size: $0.00 for half pint or smaller; $0.45 for larger than half pint up to smaller than one gallon; $0.95 for one gallon up to two gallons; $1.95 for larger than two gallons up to five gallons.
Businesses, organizations, and households with 100 gallons of paint or more to recycle may request a free pickup at their location. Some restrictions apply. More information and a request form can be found on PaintCare’s website at https://www.paintcare.org/lvp-request/ .
The new program is expected to manage more than 1.1 million gallons of paint in its first year. In New York, 36.6 million gallons of paint are sold annually, and it is estimated that about 10 percent of household paint goes unused. PaintCare helps ensure the “highest, best use” for paint collected in the program, including giving away good quality material as-is, recycling it, or putting it to another beneficial use. Most of the paint PaintCare receives is latex-based and can be remixed into recycled content paint by processors. To date, PaintCare has processed more than 50 million gallons of paint nationally and saved state and local governments millions of dollars.
Visit https://www.paintcare.org/states/new-york/ for more information about the PaintCare program.
About PaintCare
PaintCare is committed to making it easy and convenient for households and businesses to recycle leftover paint in states with paint stewardship laws. A nonprofit organization created by paint manufacturers, PaintCare sets up drop-off locations for leftover paint, arranges for recycling and proper disposal, and conducts public education. More than 50 million gallons of paint, stain, and varnish have been managed by PaintCare in 10 states and the District of Columbia.
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