Helpful Tips on Recycling and Disposing of Your Used Paint Containers
- By Cory Levins
- 30 nov 2017
It is easy, as well as economical, to dispose of used paint containers by recycling or reusing. Paint containers are made of two types of readily recyclable materials. Both types are recycled and remade into the same kinds of containers, or a huge range of other industrial and commercial products.
So why, how and where can you recycle and dispose of used paint containers?
If everyone on earth recycled, the benefits to all would be threefold.
The most mentioned, and most obvious, benefit of recycling is the reduced impact on the environment in terms of pollution. Pollution is caused by the initial extraction and processing of raw materials, and environmental damage from the disposal of the enormous amount of used items through dumping and landfills.
Recycling items contribute to direct and indirect local and global economic benefits. Recycling schemes create new local jobs and industries to process and recover items. Added facilities extract and reuse materials for new purposes, or the creation of new products.
The reuse of recyclable materials then results in a “new” resource. This replaces and conserves the use of sometimes non-renewable raw virgin materials in the manufacture of new products. We then work towards living and working sustainably.
Made from High-Density Polyethylene (HDPE) known for its strength and durability, plastic paint pails are one of the easiest, most popular and cost-effective plastics to recycle. It is less expensive to make new products from recycled HDPE than it is to create them from original raw fossil fuels. As HDPE is non-biodegradable, it is all the more important to either recycle or find another use for your plastic paint pails, rather than disposing of in local landfills — where they wait around for 500 years to decompose.
When recycled, HDPE makes the same type of containers, or it may be or used to manufacture a wide range of conventional commercial, industrial, and domestic products. Other products HDPE may be recycled into include plastic pipes, large drums, outdoor furniture, playground equipment, toys, bottles, containers, cutting boards, trays, compost bins, trash, and recycling bins.
Metal paint cans are made from tin-plated steel. The thin layer of tinplating provides resistance to corrosion, while the steel provides the strength.
The world’s most recycled material, steel cans can be repeatedly recycled as no degradation occurs during the re-melting of steel. Steel recycling also uses less energy during the re-melting process than the original manufacture from raw materials. Metal paint cans are easily recycled, and accepted widely by recycling companies and scrap metal merchants.
Steel cans are recycled to make new cans, and other steel products such as tools, equipment, and building materials. By-products from steel manufacturing are also used in road surfaces and wastewater treatment filtration systems.
Always dispose of any excess liquid paint before passing empty containers on to a recycler. Liquid paint should be disposed of safely as hazardous waste, or decanted into another appropriate smaller container for later use. Some states have collection points for unneeded liquid paint, or you may contact schools and community groups to see if they accept paint donations.
Check with your recycling collection point or agency as to whether they accept containers with dried paint. If not, thin layers of paint dried onto metal cans may not be removed easily. As paint will not stick permanently to plastic, just peel any dried paint from the surface of HPDE containers.
Your local municipalities and waste management agencies can advise of collection and/or drop-off locations in your area for recycling HDPE pails and metal paint cans. There are also online nationwide databases such as Earth911 and Recycle Nation — you can search with your zip code to find recycling facilities close to you.
To check your plastic paint pail is HDPE, look for the recycling arrow symbol on the bottom of the container. A number 2 will indicate the plastic resin is polyethylene.
Reusing or repurposing paint containers yourself, as opposed to putting them into the recycling system, is another option. This will also save you financially, as you will not necessarily need to buy new containers for other purposes.
The resilient properties of HDPE paint pails mean they can have a number of practical uses when they are empty. Reuse HDPE pails as buckets, storage containers, trash bins, and small composting containers.
Alternatively, think creatively with both empty tin plated steel and HDPE containers. Fill empty paint containers with sand or cement to create anchor weights for gazebos or tents, or drill drainage holes to create outdoor planters.
The local and global benefits of recycling used paint containers will contribute to a sustainable future for everyone. The disposal of unused liquid paint safely, and the recycling of used paint containers is easily done, whether you opt to dispose of them in your local recycling or reuse them yourself.
So why, how and where can you recycle and dispose of used paint containers?
Why Recycle?
If everyone on earth recycled, the benefits to all would be threefold.
The most mentioned, and most obvious, benefit of recycling is the reduced impact on the environment in terms of pollution. Pollution is caused by the initial extraction and processing of raw materials, and environmental damage from the disposal of the enormous amount of used items through dumping and landfills.
Recycling items contribute to direct and indirect local and global economic benefits. Recycling schemes create new local jobs and industries to process and recover items. Added facilities extract and reuse materials for new purposes, or the creation of new products.
The reuse of recyclable materials then results in a “new” resource. This replaces and conserves the use of sometimes non-renewable raw virgin materials in the manufacture of new products. We then work towards living and working sustainably.
Plastic Paint Pails
Made from High-Density Polyethylene (HDPE) known for its strength and durability, plastic paint pails are one of the easiest, most popular and cost-effective plastics to recycle. It is less expensive to make new products from recycled HDPE than it is to create them from original raw fossil fuels. As HDPE is non-biodegradable, it is all the more important to either recycle or find another use for your plastic paint pails, rather than disposing of in local landfills — where they wait around for 500 years to decompose.
When recycled, HDPE makes the same type of containers, or it may be or used to manufacture a wide range of conventional commercial, industrial, and domestic products. Other products HDPE may be recycled into include plastic pipes, large drums, outdoor furniture, playground equipment, toys, bottles, containers, cutting boards, trays, compost bins, trash, and recycling bins.
Metal Paint Cans
Metal paint cans are made from tin-plated steel. The thin layer of tinplating provides resistance to corrosion, while the steel provides the strength.
The world’s most recycled material, steel cans can be repeatedly recycled as no degradation occurs during the re-melting of steel. Steel recycling also uses less energy during the re-melting process than the original manufacture from raw materials. Metal paint cans are easily recycled, and accepted widely by recycling companies and scrap metal merchants.
Steel cans are recycled to make new cans, and other steel products such as tools, equipment, and building materials. By-products from steel manufacturing are also used in road surfaces and wastewater treatment filtration systems.
How to Recycle
Always dispose of any excess liquid paint before passing empty containers on to a recycler. Liquid paint should be disposed of safely as hazardous waste, or decanted into another appropriate smaller container for later use. Some states have collection points for unneeded liquid paint, or you may contact schools and community groups to see if they accept paint donations.
Check with your recycling collection point or agency as to whether they accept containers with dried paint. If not, thin layers of paint dried onto metal cans may not be removed easily. As paint will not stick permanently to plastic, just peel any dried paint from the surface of HPDE containers.
Where to Recycle
Your local municipalities and waste management agencies can advise of collection and/or drop-off locations in your area for recycling HDPE pails and metal paint cans. There are also online nationwide databases such as Earth911 and Recycle Nation — you can search with your zip code to find recycling facilities close to you.
To check your plastic paint pail is HDPE, look for the recycling arrow symbol on the bottom of the container. A number 2 will indicate the plastic resin is polyethylene.
Reusing Paint Containers
Reusing or repurposing paint containers yourself, as opposed to putting them into the recycling system, is another option. This will also save you financially, as you will not necessarily need to buy new containers for other purposes.
The resilient properties of HDPE paint pails mean they can have a number of practical uses when they are empty. Reuse HDPE pails as buckets, storage containers, trash bins, and small composting containers.
Alternatively, think creatively with both empty tin plated steel and HDPE containers. Fill empty paint containers with sand or cement to create anchor weights for gazebos or tents, or drill drainage holes to create outdoor planters.
Summary
The local and global benefits of recycling used paint containers will contribute to a sustainable future for everyone. The disposal of unused liquid paint safely, and the recycling of used paint containers is easily done, whether you opt to dispose of them in your local recycling or reuse them yourself.
