Paint Renew Program  

(program suspended for 2013)

Click here to see 2011 Paint ReNew Report
Click Here for the 2010 Paint Renew Report

Across the nation, thousands of gallons of old paint are discarded into trashcans and down drains each year. It is also stored in many sheds, garages, and basements. Often these materials set for years awaiting disposal, with their owners unsure as to how to proceed. Although latex paint does not pose a significant toxic threat, its associated products, such as oil-based paints, varnish, paint thinner, turpentine, etc., have very limited disposal options.

As paint is a routinely generated material that MMWA wants to keep out of the areas landfill and ditches,  MMWA worked to develop an outlet for residents to properly manage existing old paint, as well as educate them to self-manage these materials in the future. The overall goal is to remove waste paint from households and manage it properly, with reuse and recycling the primary outcomes.

Phase I of the waste paint collection program established three locations for residential drop-off of unwanted latex paint:  Habitat for Humanity’s ReStore Saginaw, and the government office in a suburban community and a rural community. All paint collected in the Latex Lock Up program was remanufactured for reuse.

Phase II, the Paint ReNew household paint recycling program, implemented in April 2005 and operational through 2012, focused on providing more convenient and accessible options for residential drop-off of unwanted paint by working with area paint/hardware retailers and expanding the types of paint accepted. With a total of 10 residential paint drop-off locations, the program also expanded to include the acceptance of both latex and oil-based paint. The Paint ReNew locations were selected based on geographic location in order to provide access to both urban/suburban communities and rural communities.

The Paint ReNew program provides residents with options for disposal of unwanted paint, as well as information on alternative paint handling and reuse options through the MMWA Household Paint Handling Guide, distributed at point-of-sale through retail Paint Partner locations. Other educational and marketing tools include:

• A “Recycle Paint Here” poster with basic guidelines for paint acceptance designed for display in Paint Partners business/office and local municipal office
• Shelf talkers on paint displays and shelves promoting the MMWA Household Paint Handling Guide
• A list of paint solidifying products to encourage retail Paint Partners to carry a product for retail sale

From 2005 through 2012, the Paint ReNew program  diverted well over 250,000 pounds of latex and oil-based paint from being landfilled, an estimated equivalent to 50,000 gallons.