How to Get Rid of Paint Safely

If you do a lot of construction, renovation, remodeling, or artistic projects you may find yourself with a lot of left over paint. If you are looking for some ideas on How To Get Rid of Paint safely, then keep on reading. Presented below are some do’s and don’ts for getting rid of any leftover paint you may have.

Wrong Ways to Dispose of Paint

Paint should not be tossed in a garbage bag and place in the trash with normal household garbage. Most trash trucks use compression to pack the garbage in order to carry more in each load. When paint containers are crushed the pain can explode from the can with a great deal of force and can spray the machines, equipment, and even people. So do not toss out pain cans with your regular trash as a way to figure out How To Get Rid of Paint safely.

Do not put your old leftover paint in other containers such as oil or other chemical containers. Some cities have special recycling programs for chemicals like oil and if paint gets mixed into the oil and contaminates it or the equipment it can cause a lot of problems to clean it up.  The process is expensive and creates a lot of waste. Also it is illegal in most states to place a chemical in any container that is not clearly labeled and accurately labeled with what is inside.

Never burn your old paint in a burn barrel. Burning can release a great deal of smoke and toxic fumes that can be harmful or fatal if inhaled. Along the same lines, do not let partial cans of pain accumulate in your home or garage because of the fire hazard. A can or two that you are saving for an upcoming project is fine but more than two or three cans can pose a major faire and health hazard for you and your family.

Right Ways to Dispose of Paint

There are wrong ways to get rid of paint and then there are the right ways to answer the question of How To Get Rid of Paint safely.

Use leftover paint as quickly as possible on other projects or see if you have neighbors, friends, or family members who could use the paint. Another option is to mix paints together and combine all left over paints to get a new color altogether. Use caution though and make sure you are not mixing oil and latex and acrylic paints together.

Dry up the remaining paint that you need to dispose of before you throw it out. This is most commonly accomplished by using something like kitty litter or sawdust. Once the paint is dry, you can dispose of it by taking it to the landfill or to a hazard waste collection site and they will dispose of it for you.

If you have just a small amount of paint left in can you can let it air dry in the bottom of the can and then take it to the landfill or you can pour the paint out into a tray and dry it that way to use up the last little bit of paint. This is another great way to figure out How To Get Rid of Paint safely.