Beyond the Can: How Washington's Paint Program Sets a National Precedent

SEATTLE, WA – June 04, 2026 – In 2025, Washington State quietly crossed a significant environmental threshold. Households and businesses diverted 1,061,821 gallons of leftover paint from potential landfill or hazardous disposal, marking a nearly 6% increase from the prior year. This achievement is more than just a statistic; it’s a testament to a powerful and increasingly influential business model known as Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR), and it positions Washington as a leader in a national movement toward sustainable industry practices.

The program, operated by the nonprofit PaintCare, has now managed an estimated 4.7 million gallons of paint, stain, and varnish in the state since its launch in April 2021. While the immediate environmental benefits are clear, the story behind this success offers a compelling case study in how industry, government, and consumers can collaborate to solve complex waste management challenges, creating a blueprint that extends far beyond the paint industry.

The Business of Stewardship: An Industry-Led Solution

At the heart of Washington’s success is a 2019 state law that mandated a paint stewardship program. This legislation paved the way for PaintCare, a 501(c)(3) organization created by the American Coatings Association (ACA), to implement a system where the paint industry itself takes financial and operational responsibility for the end-of-life management of its products. This EPR model fundamentally shifts the burden away from taxpayers and municipal waste programs, which have historically struggled with the high cost and logistical complexity of handling leftover paint.

The program's financial engine is a nominal “PaintCare Fee” applied to the purchase price of new architectural paint sold in the state. This fee, which as of January 2026 ranges from $0.65 on containers smaller than a gallon to $2.75 for five-gallon buckets, is not a government tax. Instead, it functions as a dedicated funding stream that covers all program costs, including collection, transportation, processing, public education, and managing “legacy” paint that existed before the program began. This structure makes dropping off leftover paint entirely free for consumers and businesses, removing a critical barrier to participation.

“We’d like to thank everyone in Washington who helped us collect more than 1 million gallons of paint last year,” said Lauren Scher, PaintCare’s Washington Program Manager. “Together, we’re keeping valuable materials out of landfills and giving new life to products that can be reused and recycled in communities throughout the state.”

This industry-led approach not only proves to be cost-effective for the public sector—saving local governments an average of over $150,000 annually across PaintCare's state programs—but it also incentivizes producers to consider the full lifecycle of their products, a core tenet of the circular economy.

From Drop-Off to New Product: The Circular Journey of Paint

The program’s operational efficiency is a key driver of its high participation rates. PaintCare has established an extensive network of over 290 year-round drop-off sites across Washington, strategically located at paint and hardware retailers, as well as household hazardous waste facilities. This network provides remarkable convenience, with 97.9% of Washington residents living within a 15-mile radius of a collection site. For painting contractors, property managers, and others with large quantities, PaintCare offers a free direct pickup service for 100 gallons or more, a service that facilitated 404 large-volume pickups in the state in 2024 alone.

Once collected, the paint begins its journey toward its “highest, best use.” Far from simply being disposed of, the material is meticulously sorted and processed. A significant portion of the usable latex paint—86% in Washington in 2024—is remixed and manufactured into new, recycled-content paint. High-quality, unused paint is often redirected to reuse programs, providing a low-cost resource for community groups and individuals. Other paint is used for energy recovery as fuel or finds a second life as an additive in products like cement. This multi-faceted approach ensures that the vast majority of collected material is repurposed, conserving the virgin resources and energy required to produce new paint.

This initiative aligns with the broader sustainability efforts of the coatings industry, which has made significant strides in reducing environmental impact through the development of water-based, powder, and UV-cured coatings, leading to drastic reductions in VOC emissions and toxic releases over the past two decades.

A Blueprint for the Nation: Washington's Role in a Growing Movement

As the ninth state to enact a paint stewardship law, Washington was an early adopter in a trend that has now gained significant national momentum. PaintCare currently operates programs in twelve states and the District of Columbia, with new programs recently launching in Illinois and Maryland. Nationally, the organization has collected an estimated 90 million gallons of paint since its first program began in Oregon in 2010.

Washington’s performance stands out as a benchmark for success. Its accessibility rate of nearly 98% of residents within 15 miles of a drop-off site exceeds the legislative requirements in newer programs, such as Maryland’s 90% mandate. The steady, year-over-year growth in collection volume demonstrates robust public engagement and validates the effectiveness of the program’s design.

The success of the PaintCare model is now fueling broader conversations about product stewardship. In a significant move in February 2024, PaintCare and the ACA jointly petitioned the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to reclassify architectural paint as “Universal Waste.” This designation would streamline regulations for handling, transporting, and recycling paint nationwide, creating a more consistent and efficient system. Such a federal standard could further accelerate the adoption of paint recycling programs and solidify the EPR model as a go-to solution for other hard-to-recycle consumer products.

The continued growth of this program shows that Washingtonians want convenient, responsible ways to manage leftover paint, and we’re committed to providing that service,” Scher added. The state’s experience provides compelling evidence that when industry takes ownership and provides accessible solutions, the public is more than willing to participate, collectively transforming a common waste product into a valuable resource.