What To Do With Old Paint in Springfield, Missouri
What Do You Do With Old Paint?
Oil-based paints and stains should be carefully, and legally, disposed of at a recycling center.
Springtime is coming up soon and a lot of you will be cleaning out your garages and storage buildings. When you get the bikes with flat tires out of the way there are bound to be a few old paint cans with lids crusted on laying around somewhere. They were there last year, and the year before. But you have no clue what to do with them. So you push them to the side promising yourself you’ll look up the correct answer on Google. Well… here you are.
Water-based Paints and Stains-
People who have cans of water-based paints or stains are in luck. You can scoop up some of the kitty litter from the bag that busted over the winter and add it to the water-based paint. Stir it up and allow it time to fully dry and viola! As long as it’s completely dry, you should be able to toss it in your trash receptacle and your trash company will haul it off. Leave the lids off, preferably. But once the paint is completely dried out, it poses no threat to environment.
Oil-based paints and stains-
If the cans have oil-based paints and stains in them, it gets a little trickier. You can’t just dry them out and toss them in the trash. Even dried up, oil-based paints and stains still pose a threat to the environment. Instead, call your local recycling center or your trash company. You can ask them where you can drop off the oil-based paints and stains. Sometimes there is a fee for this, but it’s usually small. However, it’s a lot cheaper than getting yourself caught dumping the paint or stain illegally.
Disposing of Paint/Stain Legally-
If you live in the Springfield, Missouri area, you can call Recycling Hotline at 417-864-1904 to learn how and where to dispose of oil-based paints and stains.
