Good Paint Job!

We have our first 2009 victory in product stewardship legislation—Oregonians will now be able to conveniently recycle household paint!

Post-consumer paint is often the number one product, by volume and cost, coming into local hazardous waste programs. It is not uncommon to find unopened and partially used cans of paint in garages, basements, sheds and attics. House Bill 3037--which breezed through the house yesterday 45-11 and is merrily on its way to the gov's desk--addresses this issue and enables paint manufacturers to develop and implement a product stewardship based system to safely recover leftover household paint.

Under the product stewardship approach, producers will now be responsible for post-consumer paint collection, reuse, recycling and disposal activities – not only in the areas that are now being serviced, but in additional under-served areas of the state.  That means that consumers will now have more places to take left-over paint, and that contractors will now have the opportunity to drop off left-over paint for recycling and proper disposal without having to pay a separate fee. Additionally, the paint industry will be responsible for consumer education and outreach for the program.

House Bill 3037 represents real progress in producer responsibility for product stewardship and highlights ways state and local governments can save money while protecting Oregon’s environment.