Est. 1998 — 27 years of woodworking knowledge
OT:How to get rid of old paint
Stuart Johnson
What is a good way to get rid of old paint? Our county does not have a home hazardous waste collection or drop off site and the normal trash collection service will not accept it. I burn brush a couple times a year is dumping it on the brush and letting it dry prior to burning acceptable. What other options are available with no or small pollution? The paint is acrylic latex.
Re: OT:How to get rid of old paint
Jesse Cloud
Our county will accept water based paints if they are 'solidified'. I pour the left over paint into a pail of sawdust in the morning and stir. Its dried by mid afternoon and ready for the trash can.
I suspect the issue may not be toxicity, but the fear that the liquid paint will splatter all over the truck, the driver, and the street when crushed.
Solvent or water based?
Re: OT:How to get rid of old paint
John in NM
Down here they tell us to let latex dry out and toss it in the dump as a solid.
Re: OT:How to get rid of old paint
Larry
Here In California, you can let it dry out then put it in the trash.
Re: OT: Ditto in NJ
water based?
Re: OT:How to get rid of old paint
Don Stephan
Paint stores here in Cincinnati, Ohio sell a powder that is mixed into latex paint. Almost immediately the mixture looks like tapioca and gradually gets thicker and thicker. Then it can be disposed of in normal trash pickup.
Re: OT:How to get rid of old paint
Kevin French
Latex Paint: Mix it with sawdust, pour/scoop onto plastic sheet/ cardboard, let it dry, throw it in the trash.
...or kitty litter...
Ditto on the kitty litter...
Tim Greif - West of Chicago
Our household hazardous waste facility will not accept latex paint because it is not considered "hazardous". The waste haulers will only pick up dried paint cans that are open (no lids present). I keep a bag of kitty litter around to use as oil-dry and to dump into the latex cans. It effectively soaks up the liquid and turns it into a solid lump, although putting it into a fairly full can will take quite some time to dry sufficiently. Better idea is to create a flat surface with edges. Use a 2x2 frame on your garage floor or driveway and cover it with a visqueen sheet, kind of like you see road crews use to dry excess concrete slop off to the side when pouring roads and curbs. Pour in the paint and saturate the stuff with kitty litter. After a day or two, you should have a solid sheet of material to break up and toss in the trash.
Re: OT:How to get rid of old paint
Don Wagstaff
Today I have mixed up another batch for painting the outside of the house, adding into some paint that I made up from fresh cow's blood 4 or five years ago. Yes, it was stinking some also a strong ammonia aroma coming off. In the end and in a typical manner, what I don't want to save I throw in the garden. This paint I call blood paint but could just as well call it lime paint.
