Paint Recycling
Stop throwing that paint away and start paint recycling
The first step towards minimizing the impact paint has on the environment and getting into the eco-friendly painting practice is to stop throwing your leftover paint away. The best way to do this is via paint recycling. This is a pretty easy method of reducing our impact on the environment and it's ecology. Paint recycling in the hands of a consumer or contractor can be managed via paint re-use but there are manufacturers that are also actually reprocessing and recycling paint to be resold.
If you've paint that's in a good workable condition considering either storing it for your own personal later use or to be used by a painting contractor such as ourselves.
Here are a few tips on paint storage, an ideal method of paint recycling:
- Put a piece of plastic wrap inside the paint can resting on the surface of the paint, essentially you are lining the interior of the paint can with the plastic wrap. This reduces your paints exposure to the gases that are present inside the can even after you close the lid, this will increase the paints potential lifespan.
- This is a bit of an old painters trick. Right before replacing the lid, take a large breath and hold it as long as you feel able, right before closing the lid forcefully blow into the can. This exchanges the gases present in the can with a lot of good old 'man-made' carbon dioxide, apparently this increases the shelf life.
- When replacing the lid, use a rubber mallet and not a hammer. The hammer can damage the lid and thus the seal, this sort of damage creates very small openings allowing the paint to slowly dry. When using the mallet to close the lid, use a succession of taps in a circular motion around the paint can lid so as to evenly distribute the force and create a consistant seal.
- When storing paint, place it away from extreme temperatures. Do not store it near a furnace or in a cold storage area, the best place is a dry area with a consistant temperature.
Another way method of paint recycling; when you've got left over paint that you just do not see yourself ever using you can always just give it to someone else who might be in need. You can also deliver your unfinished paint to hazardous waste handling centers or recycling centers, typically these places will sell the post-consumer paint to companies who will use paint recycling processes to provide brand new products for people purchase and paint with.