After a room refreshment or renovation, people often have leftover paint and do not know what to do with it. It cannot be recycled or thrown away curbside, and household hazardous waste drop off events only happen twice a year. Luckily, New York State participates in PaintCare, a paint recycling program, where people can drop off old paint year-round.

When paint is purchased in New York, a recycling fee is included in the price. So, when leftover paints are brought in for recycling at a participating paint store, there are no fees for safe disposal. It is not just interior paint that PaintCare Recycles. The following is a list of items accepted through this program:

• Exterior paints (latex, acrylic, water-based, alkyd, oil-based, enamel, and textured coatings)
• Deck coatings, floor paints
• Primers, sealers, undercoats
• Stains
• Shellacs, lacquers, varnishes, urethanes (single component)
• Waterproofing concrete/masonry/wood sealers and repellents (not tar or bitumen-based
• Metal coatings, rust preventatives
• Field and lawn paints

There are some paint products not accepted by PaintCare, which can be disposed of properly at Household Hazardous Waste Day:

• Paint thinners, mineral spirits, solvents
• Aerosol coatings
• Auto and marine paints
• Art and craft paints
• Caulking compounds, epoxies, glues, adhesives
• Paint additives, colorants, tints, resins
• Wood preservatives (containing pesticides)
• Roof patch and repair
• Asphalt, tar and bitumen-based products
• 2-component coatings
• Deck cleaners
• Traffic and road marking paints
• Industrial Maintenance (IM) coatings

More information about this program can be found on the PaintCare website at paintcare.org. Along with the list of acceptable and non-acceptable paints, a participating store locator is available as well as tips for purchasing the right type and amount of paint for future projects. For information about Household Hazardous Waste Drop-Off Day, please visit the health department’s website at putnamcountyny.gov/health/recycle#HHWD.