House Bill 451, led by Democratic New London Rep. Karen Ebel, would establish a post-consumer paint stewardship program in the state, allowing residents and businesses to drop off unwanted paint at participating locations for recycling. It has the support of a broad coalition of environmental and business groups, and would contribute to the state鈥檚 goal to reduce disposal by 25% in weight by 2030 and 45% by 2050 by diverting much of the paint from landfills.
Paint is a product that is manufactured to be used completely, but as residents with paint cans lying around can attest to, that often doesn鈥檛 happen. 鈥淲e never considered the issue of end-of-life management,鈥� said Heidi McAuliffe, senior vice president of government affairs for the American Coatings Association, in an interview. But when the trade association began to see studies showing paint was the main product brought to household hazardous waste events, which are often costly for municipalities, 鈥淲e started to really think, OK, maybe we have some responsibility here.鈥�
The group began working with environmental agencies across the country in the early 2000s to establish the framework for the program, McAuliffe told lawmakers at a hearing on the bill in the House Commerce and Consumer Affairs Committee late last month. It started as a pilot program in Oregon and has since expanded to 11 other states, with two more in the process of joining, she said.