Ask Ashley
Dealing with Waste Paint
May 15, 2008
Q:
Dear Ashley,
My husband and I just moved into a new (used) house and we have inherited dozens of cans of old paint. Most of it doesn’t look fit for reuse and I couldn’t even tell you if the paint is latex or oil-based. What is a person to do with used paint in Calgary?
Kate
A:
Why is it that folks always leave little goodies - like paint - lurking in the oddest places when they move out? You never find the fridge full of beer but you can be sure that there’ll be a couple cans of paint in the garage or under the kitchen sink. If moving isn’t stressful enough already, you are left cleaning up someone’s mess. Don’t despair though because, here in Alberta, we know a thing or two about dealing with old, unwanted paint.
The folks at the Alberta Recycling Management Authority (ARMA) – the same association that runs the tire and electronics recycling programs - have just added paint to their list of products that are eligible for recycling. Roughly 30 million litres of paint is sold in Alberta each year and because some waste is inevitable, dealing with it properly is essential to protect human and environmental health.
Paint – latex and oil/alkyd – as well as aerosol cans and empty paint containers can be dropped off at numerous locations around the province for processing, including seven here in Calgary. The program is funded through an environmental levy applied at the time of purchase, meaning that paint and paint containers can be dropped off at no charge.
Once the paint is dropped off, it is separated according to its particular characteristics, with some of it being recovered, reblended and re-sold as Eco-Coat paint, while other products are thermally destroyed (incinerated) or processed to recover energy. Empty paint and aerosol cans are recycled to recover their resource potential and to keep them out of the waste stream.
Stewardship programs such as those run by ARMA are essential in reducing the risks associated with the improper disposal of household hazardous wastes. This is especially true at a time when most Canadian households continue to put hazardous materials, including paint, out with their regular household waste. By taking a few simple, yet prudent, steps we can keep household hazardous waste from spoiling our beautiful city.
Kind regards,
Ashley
Ashley Lubyk, BSc. in Environmental Science, formerly a Calgary Materials Exchange Program Assistant at Clean Calgary Association. Please send your question concerning Water, Waste, or Recycling to Ashley.