Recycling

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Liquids

(Current Recycling Technology and Processes)

Paint Recycling Process  (Page 1)

Paint is commonly used in our homes, offices, and industrial buildings.  In the U.S. alone, about two gallons of paint are sold to each person annually.  With almost 300 million people in our nation, that means almost 600 million gallons of paint are purchased and used every year.  Unfortunately, many of the paint ends up in the landfill because of people just throw it away after using part of a can.  It is important to understand that paint, when properly stored, can last for years.  For the paint that you do not want to keep, simply send it to paint recycling centers nearby and they will take care of it.  For a complete list of today's recyclable paint grades, please visit our section Current Recyclable Materials – Liquid. Following are the four recycling steps when you turn in the leftover paint to a recycling center or agency. Step 1: Cans of leftover or un-used paint are collected and carefully sorted base on their label.  Each can is opened and its content is checked for usability.  Usually, up to 80% of the paint received can be reused.  Non-usable paint is put into large drums and mixed with an absorbent product, creating a solidified, non-hazardous material that can be disposed of as solid waste.  Usable paint goes to step 2 of the process.

Figure: Step 1. [Courtesy of: Kansas Environmental Department.]

Step 2: The paint is separated into different color batches and poured into large holding tanks base on each respective color.  Each color includes a blend of both interior and exterior paints, and all finishes from flat to gloss.  The empty steel paint can from the collection are send to metal recyclers for metal recycling. Step 3: When each holding tank is full, the paint in it is mixed and put through a filtering process to remove minute solid matters.  Similar to the process applied during virgin paint manufacture, filtration of at 300 microns is utilized, thus allowing the filtered paint to be used in fine applications such as spraying.

Figure: Step 3. [Courtesy of: Kansas Environmental Department.]

Step 4: Once the paint is filtered, it is pumped into pre-labeled containers (usually 5 gallons) for retail sale.  To make sure that the product does not contain significant levels of lead, mercury, or other hazardous organic compounds, periodic testing of the recycled paint is conducted.

Figure: Step 4. [Courtesy of: Kansas Environmental Department.]

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QUICK LINKS (Specific Table of Contents): Section I: Introduction Section II: Present (YOU ARE CURRENTLY IN THIS SECTION) Section III: Future

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