Earth 911 joins with NPCA and PSI to educate consumers on leftover paint reuse and recycling

Earth 911 joins with NPCA and PSI to educate consumers on leftover paint reuse and recycling

Keywords: Polymers, Paints, Chemical technology

Earth 911 (www.Earth911.org), Phoenix,Ariz., a portal for local environmental information, has joined with the National Paint and Coatings Association (NPCA) and the Product Stewardship Institute, Inc., (PSI) to launch the Paint Wise consumer information portal (www.Paint.Earth911.org). The Paint Wise Web portal provides community-based information and tools to assist consumers in the purchase, application, storage and end-of-life management of paint. Resources include zip code-specific donation, recycling and disposing options,proper paint storage and paint-calculation tools. “Education of consumers is at the core of any effort to cost- effectively manage post-consumer paint,”said Andrew Doyle, president, NPCA. “This is a great resource for consumers, and the interactive paint- estimation tools, coupled with localized information about paint donations or recycling, will go a long way toward protecting the environment and reducing this environmental burden on the communities.” PSI estimated that out of 650 million gallons of paint sold each year in the USA, between 16 and 35 million gallons become “surplus”paint. At the cost of approximately $8 per gallon, managing the leftover paint through recycling or disposal could cost the government and taxpayers up to $280 million (Painting and Decorating Contractors of America (PDCA) Government Affairs News, April 2004.)