A peek at the basement or garage inside most homes often reveals the sight of old metallic paint cans in an array of pint-to-gallon sizes. This is certainly the case in my own house, where I’ve been known to test multiple shades of white, from Benjamin Moore’s “Capitol White” to “Linen White” in a quest to find just the right shade. As we all know, color options are endless, and that doesn’t even begin to account for the various paint finishes that are available. A few years ago, I went through a textured lime wash phase, and the evidence is still visible in the stash of sample-size cans tucked into a corner in my basement.
Why do we hold on to samples when we know they’ll never make the cut? Part of the reason, I think, is because we don’t know how or where to responsibly dispose of them. Enter Brian Strothkamp of Reineke Decorating Centers, who I called last week to get his take. “You can’t just throw paint into the trash. It needs to hardened first,” he says, adding that solidifying the liquid prevents it from leaching its chemicals into groundwater. Most reputable paint stores sell paint hardeners, which quicken the rate at which paint turns from a liquid form into a solid. At Strothkamp’s store location on Manchester Road, the product is placed at the front of the shop. Strothkamp says he fields this type of question at least once a day.
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If you are the keeper of large quantities of paint–or maybe you prefer to get rid of it at once–there are local businesses that will take your unwanted paint. At Earthbound Recycling in Eureka, homeowners can recycle paint for a small fee. Similarly, at St. Louis Household Hazardous Waste, residents of St. Louis County, St. Louis City, and Jefferson County can dispose of their hazardous waste, including both latex and oil paint, stains, and varnishes. Latex paint disposal will run you 50 cents per pound to recycle.
The key to drying latex paint is to expose it to air, giving it as much surface area as possible, says Strothkamp. He encourages homeowners to get creative about disposal, too. “Get a few pieces of cardboard from Schnucks or Dierbergs, put the paint down on the cardboard, let it dry. Throw another layer on it, let it dry. Fold it up and throw it away,” he says. If this isn’t for you, local drama clubs, says Strothkamp, could be another way to go, as they often need paint to build their sets.
