Free Drop Off For Old Paint Cans

(Editor's note: Thanks to the Castro Valley Sanitary District for sharing this information.)

Under California's Paint Stewardship Program you can now recycle old paint cans at 335 retail collection sites across the state.

At present the state does not list any in San Leandro (if you know of a dropoff center in the city, please let Patch know).

But there is one site in San Lorenzo:

Kelly Moore, 15611 Hesperian Blvd. 510-276-6492.

And two drop offs in Castro Valley:

Kelly Moore, 3090 Castro Valley Blvd. 510-690-9249.

Dunn-Edwards, 20923 Redwood Road, 510-881-0313.

There is no fee for dropping off paint at PaintCare locations, and the limit is 5 gallons per visit per day. 

What’s Accepted: Interior and exterior architectural paint sold in containers of 5 gallons or less will be accepted (latex, acrylic, water-based, oil-based, enamel, deck coatings, primers, sealers, stains, shellacs, lacquers, varnishes, swimming pool paints, metal coatings, and rust preventatives). 

Who Can Participate: Residents, trade painters, contractors, and businesses (that produce less than 27 gallons of hazardous waste per month) are eligible to participate. 

Both new and old paint can be dropped off, even if it is over 20 years old.

California’s PaintCare Program is a result of Assembly Bill 1343 (Huffman), passed in 2010.  Leftover paint is a national problem representing 40-60%, by volume, of all Household Hazardous Waste collected at public facilities.  In California, it is estimated that paint management currently costs local governments $21 million each year.  California is the first state in the nation to have a permanent paint stewardship program.