Homeowners and businesses throughout Illinois will soon be able to recycle their leftover paint due to legislation sponsored by State Senator Linda Holmes that establishes a program to dispose of household paint. The program was signed into law by the Illinois governor in July.
The Paint Stewardship Act creates a process for consumers to dispose of household paint in Illinois. No state resources are in place yet to deal with this waste. Under this law, manufacturers of architectural paint will create and submit a plan to the Illinois EPA to establish the program.
Under this program, manufacturers will pay a fee to the Illinois EPA to set up a paint collection site, service or event, which will allow residents to drop off unused paint to specified locations free of charge. Those collection sites or events will be within a 15 mile radius for 90 percent of Illinois residents.
“Consumers will now have an opportunity to declutter their homes of old paint and feel confident that their waste is being recycled and disposed of in an environmentally sustainable way,” Holmes said. Similar programs in other states with paint stewardship laws include California, Minnesota, Colorado and New York. They have collected 62.6 million gallons of paint.
Senate Bill 836 was signed into law by Governor JB Pritzker and takes effect January 1, 2024.