Aerosol Spray Paints, Container/Can Recycling, Paint Recycling and Other Issues

• Handling and Disposal of Aerosol Spray Paints
• Steel Paint Can and Aerosol Can Recycling
• Information on Steel Recycling
• Plastic Container Recycling
• Why Can't You Return Leftover Paint to Retailers and Manufacturers_
• What About Recycling Leftover Paint_

If you can't use up your leftover spray paint, it should be donated to those who need it, but keep in mind that spay paint should never be given to children who may use the paint to deface property or to inhale the vapors. Paint can also be exchanged in a community paint exchange or paint swap.

When you've used up the entire can of spray paint, remember that spray paint cans can be recycled with other empty steel cans.

If a partially full aerosol paint can fails to spray after cleaning, or you absolutely cannot use up, donate or exchange the leftover paint, then, as a last resort, dispose of the spray paint properly. This means you'll need to save the can for a special household hazardous waste collection in your area, or take it to a local household hazardous waste collection site.

Steel Paint Can and Aerosol Can Recycling
For more than 50 years, the steel industry has had an annual recycling rate of over 50 percent. The production of new steel actually requires at least 25 percent "old" high-grade steel, or "scrap" steel.

Because steel cans used to package consumer products are made from high-grade steel, they are an excellent source of scrap for new steel production. More than 55.9 percent of all steel cans were, in fact, recovered for recycling in 1995 in the United States.

Like most steel food cans, paint cans, including aerosol spray paint cans, are made of high-grade steel, and should be part of every community's curbside or drop-off recycling program. Cans with labels and even a slight residue of dried paint are acceptable for recycling, because melting steel requires temperatures of about 3,000 degrees Fahrenheit. This heat consumes residual materials, such as small amounts of dried leftover paint in cans and the labels, during the steel-making process.

NPCA and the Steel Recycling Institute (SRI) are working together to promote the recyclability of empty steel paint cans and aerosol cans, including spray paint products. More than 3,500 municipal locations currently collect empty aerosol cans, and more than 2,400 collect empty paint cans through municipal programs. General instructions are quite simple:

1. Empty the container through normal use.
2. Empty paint cans — no more than a thin skin of dried paint should remain on the inside of the can.
3. Empty aerosol cans — remove the plastic overcap, if detachable.
4. Put the paint can and its steel lid and the aerosol can in the recycling bin.

If residents have questions or concerns, they should check with the local recycling program coordinator to get specific instructions for local programs.

Plastic Container Recycling
Plastic paint containers are generally made of high density polyethylene (HDPE, SPI Code 2). Many communities have recycling programs which generally include HDPE-type rigid plastic containers. Check in your area to find out whether your local recycling program accepts these containers.

Why Can't You Just Return Post-Consumer Paint to Retailers and Manufacturers_
Retail stores and home centers — particularly small businesses — are generally not set up as waste collection sites, and usually don't have the necessary space, permits or staff training to safely and properly handle waste collection. It is better to rely on trained and equipped municipalities and special waste collection companies. For the paint manufacturer, the concern is for the manufacturing equipment and process, which, if exposed to leftover paint contaminated by bacteria, must be thoroughly cleaned and made contaminant-free, a process which is extremely costly.

What About Recycling Leftover Paint_
Basically, leftover paint is a highly reusable resource, not a waste product that must be "recycled" in order to be used again. Therefore, paint should always be carefully bought in the appropriate quantity, stored properly, used up, donated and exchanged before recycling or disposal are even considered.

When paint recycling is conducted, it is most effective as a voluntary activity at the local or regional level. Paint recycling should remain an activity discussed and agreed upon voluntarily by specific, participating paint manufacturers and local household hazardous waste/solid waste professionals.

Typically, paint recycling can include:

• Paint Blending for Reuse — This low-tech option blends leftover latex paint with virgin materials to yield a new paint with a recycled content. Leftover paint makes up about 10-20 percent of the finished product. Bacterial contamination can be a threat; it is one of the reasons why most paint manufacturers are very cautious about accepting any leftover paint without extensive testing. The resulting latex paint is generally intended for exterior use for anti-graffiti purposes.
• Paint Blending for Waste-to-Energy Programs — This low-tech option blends leftover solvent-based paint for use as fuel in cement kilns.
• Paint Reprocessing — This high-tech recycling typically requires careful quality control, and involves only latex paint. Solvent-based paint recycling is less common due to the complexity of the paint materials and the high cost of handling and recycling compared to other alternatives, such as waste-to-energy program.