The Town of Mansfield is pleased to announce that leftover paint is now accepted at the Mansfield transfer station. Through a new Connecticut paint stewardship law, a wide variety of paint is accepted for no charge at the transfer station. Passed in 2011, the law requires that beginning July 2013 manufacturers selling paint in Connecticut must operate a program to manage leftover paint by providing a system for collection of paint that includes convenient paint drop-off sites and environmentally responsible paint management. This program is administered by PaintCare, a non-profit organization established by the American Coatings Association to implement state-mandated paint stewardship programs.
According to the American Coatings Association, about 10% of purchased paint goes unused – that translates into 70 million gallons of paint that is available for recycling in the US each year. Until now, Connecticut residents could only dispose of oil-based paint at hazardous waste facilities or events, with no recycling options for latex paint. Instead residents were directed to dry out latex paint until it was “rock hard” and dispose of it in household trash. Those days are now gone. Through this program, collected latex paint will be blended into recycled-content paint and oil-based paint will either be incinerated or used as a blended fuel for cement kilns.
The paints that are now accepted include:
• Interior and exterior latex, acrylic, water-based, alkyd, oil-based and enamel paints
• Deck coatings and floor paints
• Primers, sealers and undercoaters
• Stains
• Shellacs, lacquers, varnishes and urethanes (single component)
• Waterproofing concrete/masonry/wood sealers (not tar or bitumen-based)
• Metal coatings, rust preventatives
• Field and lawn paints
• Keep products in the original containers with original labels
• Latex paint that is dried out is also acceptable
The Mansfield Transfer Station, located at 221 Warrenville Road in Mansfield Center, is open to Mansfield residents and small businesses on Tuesdays, 8:30 to 4:00, Thursdays, 12:00 to 4:00 and Saturdays, 8:30 to 4:00. Paint can also be taken to the Willington Household Chemical Drop-off Facility, located at 57 Hancock Road in Willington.
For more information, contact Virginia Walton at 860-429-3333 or waltonvd@mansfieldct.org.