Getting Rid of Unwanted Paint

Ron's Painting

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If you are like most homeowners, then you probably have some paint buckets stuffed in the back of your shed or closets. More often than not, you will eventually decide that you will not be using that paint in the future and you will decide to throw the paint out.

Before you dispose of unwanted paint, it is essential for you to understand how to properly dispose of paint. The disposal method varies depending upon the type of paint that you throwing out.

Water-Based Paints

The easiest types of paint to dispose are water-based paints, such as acrylic and latex paints. For most places, you can simply throw away this type of paint if the paint has turned into a solid. However, if you are trying to dry the paint out by simply removing the lid, it could take several years for the paint to become completely hardened.

Therefore, when trying to harden paint, you can stir in dry concrete, sand or even kitty litter—or just about any type of known paint-absorbing material to assist in the hardening process. Once the paint is hardened completely and there is no liquid left, you can simply throw the water-based paint away.

Oil-Based Paints

On the other hand, oil-based paints, as well as alkyds paints, are not as easy to throw out as water-based paints. Therefore, it is essential that you properly dispose of these types of paints by dropping the buckets of paint off at the location that is designated for such materials within your municipality.

It is never okay to pour oil-based paints down your drain or to attempt to harden them and dispose of them in the garbage can like you can with water-based paints. Therefore, if you are looking to dispose of oil-based paints make sure you follow the disposal policies outlined by the city in which you live.

In Lee County, you can take it to the Hazardous Waste facility located on 6441 Topaz in Fort Myers.  For a full description of Lee County guidelines for household chemical waste disposal, click HERE!

If you have any specific questions feel free to Ask the Experts at Ron’s Painting!

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