June 29 - Rhode Island Passes Paint Recycling Law
Rhode Island has just joined Oregon, California and Connecticut as the fourth state in the country to have a paint stewardship law. The paint stewardship program would be implemented by the American Coatings Association and the paint industry and has already experienced great success in Oregon where it was first implemented.
The program creates a market for the safe and efficient management of postconsumer paint by promoting paint reuse, reducing post-consumer paint generation, and providing the means for collection, transport, and processing of unwanted paint.
Paint is the most costly and abundant product taking in by Hazardous Household Waste programs and the majority of this cost is placed upon the local government. In 2006, over 2 million gallons of paint were collected in California - costing local governments an average of $8 per gallon - or over $16 million per year.
The PaintCare® program adds a uniform burden for all paint manufacturers and retailers, thereby preventing any one organization from having a competitive advantage over any other. Furthermore, average consumers who previously did not have access to paint recycling programs will have more facilities for unneeded paint drop off.
The signing of Rhode Island’s paint recycling bill comes in the wake of California’s own Paint Stewardship Program, which just passed regulatory review and will take action this July!
Read more about Rhode Island's PaintCare Bill