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California’s PaintCare Expansion Act Will Increase Convenience to Recycle and
Save Local Governments Money
Last September, California Governor Gavin Newsom signed into law SB 1143 by Senator Ben Allen. Sponsored by the National Stewardship Action Council (NSAC), a non-profit organization that advocates for a responsible, circular economy, SB 1143 expanded California’s existing paint stewardship recycling program which is operated by the producer responsibility organization named PaintCare. Today, NSAC presented Senator Allen with a Legislative Leadership Award for authoring and passing SB 1143 which expands the PaintCare program to cover all paint related products.
“California was first to pass the Paint Stewardship law for oil and latex paint in California in 2010. Now, thanks to Senator Allen, California is the first state to expand the program to cover all paint products including marine, furniture and other specialty paints. Senator Allen is a champion for common sense, but groundbreaking, legislation ensuring producers have their fair share of responsibility for end-of-life management of waste and why we presented him with a “Legislative Leadership Award.” said Heidi Sanborn, Executive Director of NSAC.
Pictured L to R: Heidi Sanborn, NSAC; Senator Ben Allen; Jordan Wells, NSAC
In 2010, the Legislature passed AB 1343 by now Congressman Jared Huffman, which requires the paint manufacturing industry to operate a financially sustainable and environmentally responsible program to manage postconsumer (leftover) architectural paint. Approximately 50% of the material collected by volume by local household hazardous waste programs is paint. CA’s PaintCare program has collected an estimated 36 million gallons of paint at over 810 year-round drop-off sites according to CalRecycle which oversees the program.
However, the initial program only covered latex and oil paint. The California Commission on Recycling Markets and Curbside Recycling, chaired by NSAC Director Heidi Sanborn, was comprised of 16 experts representing materials management companies, local governments, unions, and NGOs, unanimously recommended “Aerosol cans containing paint, water repellents and lacquers, stains or other architectural coatings should be added to the PaintCare program as soon as feasibly possible.”
While aerosol coatings were added to the program in 2023 via the passage of AB 1526 by the Assembly Committee on Natural Resources, certain nonindustrial coatings and coating-related products such as automotive refinish paint, marine and antifouling paints, were not included in the program until SB 1143 was signed into law.
“I always appreciate it when industries work with us to solve a problem to make Californian’s lives better. Adding the remaining paint and paint-related products to the PaintCare program will streamline collection and provide California consumers with increased convenience, while saving local governments millions each year.” said Senator Allen.
CalRecycle is required to adopt regulations to implement the new statutes and has the first hearing on March 3rd. The paint stewardship program will add aerosol coating products, coating-related products, and nonindustrial coatings when the implementation date of a stewardship plan or an amendment to a plan is approved by the department, or January 1, 2028, whichever occurs sooner. For updates, visit https://calrecycle.ca.gov/paint/ or subscribe to CalRecycle’s paint stewardship listserv.
About NSAC – www.nsaction.us
National Stewardship Action Council (NSAC) is a 501(c)(4) nonprofit organization that advocates and provides consulting services to advance a responsible, circular economy, anywhere in the U.S., and at any level of government. NSAC has been instrumental in the passage of several first-in-the-nation laws such as the EPR for medicines and needles and was a key negotiator of the packaging law in California, SB 54 passed in 2022. You can follow us on social media via LinkedIn and You Tube and to join go to www.nsaction.us.
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