Paint Residues and Containers: Acting as Responsible Citizens

Leftover paint, stains, lacquers and varnishes, whether for indoor or outdoor use, should never be thrown in the trash! So how do you get rid of all these containers and residues without polluting the environment?

In Quebec, all businesses marketing architectural paint have the obligation to recover, or have recovered, its residual material. In order to meet this obligation, paint producers and brand owners implemented the Société québécoise de gestion écologique de la peinture, Eco-peinture. The mission of this non-profit organization is to contribute to the recovery, recycling, and reclamation of paint residues. Through its well-established collection procedure, Eco-peinture managed to divert more than 6,000 tons of paint and empty containers from waste disposal sites in 2009.

To responsibly dispose of your paint residues and containers, simply send them to Eco-peinture.
So how do you that?

• When buying paint, ask the retailer if you can return any leftover paint. Several companies such as Rona, BMR, and Home Dépôt have a private collection depot.

• Municipal depots are available in several municipalities across Quebec where you can drop off your paint residues providing they are in their original containers. To find out where the nearest drop-off point is located, visit www.peinture.qc.ca.

• Most municipalities organize annual collections of household hazardous wastes (HHW). Use this as an opportunity to clear your house of all your paint residues as well as all other hazardous materials: this will reduce the risk of fire or other damage to your property.

Did you know?

• Only architectural paint is accepted in collection points. This includes primers and paints (latex, alkyd or others), varnishes, paint for metals or anti-corrosive paint, aerosol paints, stains, etc. Paint designed for artistic use or intended for industrial use are not accepted.

• The first thing to do as an environmentally-conscious consumer is to adequately estimate the quantity of paint required for a project so that you only buy what you need.

According to the 2006 Summary of residual materials management in Quebec, architectural paint accounts for more than 42% of household hazardous wastes that are recovered. All municipalities must effectively manage residual materials produced within their boundaries, but every citizen is responsible for doing their share to ensure the operation of recovering, recycling and re claiming is effective and actually contributes to protecting the environment.