PCA Articles

PaintCare is introducing two new paint stewardship programs in Illinois and Maryland, making recycling paint more convenient for contractors, households, and businesses in these states. PaintCare currently operates programs in California, Colorado, Connecticut, Maine, Minnesota, New York, Oregon, Rhode Island, Washington, Vermont, and the District of Columbia. With the addition of Illinois and Maryland, PaintCare will operate 13 programs, bringing paint recycling opportunities to about one-third of the U.S. population.

The Illinois PaintCare program will launch on December 1, 2025, and the Maryland PaintCare program is expected to launch in April 2026. Households and businesses in these
states will have the opportunity to drop off their unwanted, leftover paint for recycling at PaintCare drop-off sites. Most drop-off sites are located at local retail stores, providing
convenient, year-round options for recycling paint. PaintCare operates a network of over 2,500 drop-off sites across all programs. Click here to find a drop-off site near you.

Painting contractors are encouraged to utilize PaintCare’s large volume pickup (LVP) service, which provides free pickups of leftover paint. This service is available to anyone who has 100 or more gallons of eligible paint products. To schedule a pickup, please fill out the form on our website.

Over the last 15 years, PaintCare has collected an estimated 84 million gallons of paint for recycling, keeping it out of the waste stream. Approximately 800 million gallons of architectural paint is sold in the U.S each year, and it is estimated that as much as 10% of that paint goes unused. Most of the unused paint is taken to household hazardous waste (HHW) facilities or placed in garbage collection, ending up in landfills. PaintCare offers a solution to better managing the end of life of paint by operating recycling programs in 13 states and jurisdictions. Painting contractors can help extend the lifecycle of paint by recycling their paint with PaintCare at a drop-off site or by using the LVP service.

For more information about PaintCare, drop-off sites, or the large volume pickup service, please visit www.paintcare.org or follow us online @WeRecyclePaint on Facebook and Instagram. You may get in touch with PaintCare directly by emailing info@paint.org or calling (855) PAINT-09.