Recycle Old Paint for Free at County Landfill

Thursday, September 12, 2024

Monticello, NY - The Sullivan County Department of Solid waste & Recycling is pleased to announce a new partnership with PaintCare, a nonprofit organization created by the paint industry through the American Coatings Association (ACA) to manage leftover paint in states that have enacted paint stewardship laws.

The Monticello Transfer Station, 91 Landfill Drive, will now serve as a drop-off site for PaintCare's new Statewide paint recycling program which allows households and businesses to recycle leftover paint, stain, and varnish conveniently and sustainably. PaintCare recently opened its 300th drop-off site in New York State and continues to grow its partnerships with paint retail stores and locally managed government facilities.

New York's paint recycling program comes in the wake of a paint stewardship law that was passed by the State Legislature in 2019. The law ensures that everyone who produces, sells, and uses paint works together to minimize, reuse, and recycle unwanted paint.

"We are thrilled to be expanding our paint stewardship program into Sullivan County so that households, businesses, and institutions can easily dispose of paint responsibly and sustainably," said Andrew Radin, PaintCare's New York Program Manager. "We're grateful for the important role that our partners play in making sure this initiative is successful."

How It Works

PaintCare makes it convenient to recycle leftover paint by establishing drop-off sites at local government facilities and paint and hardware retailers near residential neighborhoods. These locations are easy to find by visiting PaintCare's online site locator at www.paintcare.org or by calling PaintCare's hotline number at (855) PAINT09.

The Monticello Transfer Station will serve as a drop-off site, and customers are encouraged to bring their paint in during normal operating hours: Monday-Saturday from 7:45 a.m.-2:45 p.m. The drop-off area can be found at the scalehouse/residential drop off area, and any drop-off related questions can be directed to Kassie Thelman at (845) 807-0291 or [email protected].

The Monticello Transfer Station accepts both latex- and oil-based architectural paint products, including paints, stains, sealers, and varnishes. Paint must be dropped off in its original container with its original manufacturer's label. A full list of products accepted by the program is available on PaintCare's website at www.paintcare.org/products.

There is no cost to residents and businesses when dropping off their unwanted paint for recycling. A small fee on the sale of new paint - called the PaintCare fee - funds all aspects of the program including paint collection, transportation, processing, and public education. The PaintCare fee in New York varies by container size: no fee for half-pint or smaller; $0.45 for larger than half-pint up to smaller than one gallon; $0.95 for one gallon up to two gallons; $1.95 for larger than two gallons up to five gallons.

Businesses, organizations, and households with 100 gallons of paint or more to recycle may request a free pickup at their location. Some restrictions apply. More information and a request form can be found on PaintCare's website at www.paintcare.org/pickup.

The program has already collected more than 1 million gallons of paint since it began. In New York, over 30 million gallons of paint are sold annually, and it is estimated that about 10 percent of household paint goes unused. PaintCare helps ensure the "highest, best use" for paint collected in the program, including giving away good quality material as-is, recycling it, or putting it to another beneficial use. Most of the paint PaintCare receives is latex-based and can be remixed into recycled content paint by processors.

Visit www.paintcare.org/NY for more information about the PaintCare program.