Maybe you’ve just finished repainting your shed, or maybe you’ve applied a fresh coat of paint to your living room and kitchen walls, and once the job was done, you were left with a couple of opened cans of paint. Throwing the cans in the regular garbage bin is out of the question, so what else is there to do?
One of the best solutions, in this case, is recycling the remaining paint. This way, you also protect the environment and you avoid wasting good paint!
There are multiple ways you can recycle paint, and we wanted to share a few tips on how and why you should do it. Read on for more details.
Reuse the paint & save resources
If you find yourself with extra paint laying around after finishing a paint job, reusing the remaining paint can be a viable option. If you’ve painted the whole house, the chances of finding new spots to paint are slim, so you have to store the remaining cans for later.
If you have a safe space where you can store the cans, you can do that instead of throwing the paint away. You can save money this way when the next paint job comes along, however, make sure the cans are stored properly, and avoid any spillage.
Alternatively, if you’ve painted the fence and maybe one room, and still have paint left, you can use the remaining paint to cover the walls of another room that needs freshening up. Furthermore, you can also mix the paint and create new colors, if you have leftover colored paint.
By reusing your paint, you are also saving money and protecting the environment.
Protect the environment
As you may know, paint contains a lot of hazardous substances that harm the environment. Specifically, when the paint dries up in landfills, it releases toxic vapors in the air, damaging the atmosphere. Recycling your paint guarantees that toxic and hazardous substances don’t end up in the air and the ecosystem. Plus, this eliminates the chance of paint ending up in the soil or water.
Reduce waste
Landfills are already pretty large, and if each and every one of us recycles our paints at recycling facilities or finds other viable methods like reusing or donating, we can all contribute when it comes to waste reduction. According to this survey, more than 78 million gallons of purchased paint is unused in the United States, which leads to massive waste. If every ounce of that paint was reused, we would definitely see some positive results and change the world for the better.
Give it to someone else
Have you thought about donating your paint to someone who might need it? Instead of throwing away remaining paint, finding people in need of it is certainly a better option. Think about it, as it’s a win-win situation: you get rid of your paint, and also help someone out. There are countless institutions, establishments and people who are constantly looking for donations, sometimes in the form of paint, too!
So there you have it, these are the top reasons why you should recycle paint. If you’re still unsure how to handle your recycling, Dallas Paint Disposal is eager to help you out. We are a team of professionals who know exactly how to dispose of your paint in a safe and eco-friendly way.