Program Details
PaintCare offers drop-off sites throughout Washington where the public can take unwanted paint for recycling. These sites are available to households, government agencies, and others with leftover paint.
Drop Off Paint
Large Volume Pickup (LVP) Service
If you have a large amount of unwanted paint (100+ gallons), PaintCare offers a free service to painting contractors, property managers, and others with large amounts of leftover architectural paint.
Products We Accept
PaintCare sites accept house paint as well as primers, stains, sealers, and clear coatings such as shellac and varnish. Accepted products, also referred to as “PaintCare products” and “architectural coatings,” are the same ones that carry the PaintCare fee when purchased.
Fee and Funding
PaintCare programs are funded by a fee (referred to as the PaintCare fee) which is applied to the purchase price of each container of new paint sold in the state. There is no charge for dropping off paint at a PaintCare drop-off site. The PaintCare fee is not a tax or a deposit. The fee funds all aspects of the paint stewardship program.
For more information on the fee, visit the PaintCare Fee Page.
The fee in Washington is based on container size as follows:
Official Documents
Summary of 2024 Washington Annual Report
This one-page infographic highlights the successes from the most recent reporting period for the Washington PaintCare program (January to December 2024). Please consider downloading and printing a copy of the infographic and then posting it for staff and the public at your business or organization.
Annual Report
- 2024 Annual Report (January – December 2024)
- 2023 Annual Report (January – December 2023)
- 2022 Annual Report (January – December 2022)
- 2021 Annual Report (April – December 2021)
The first report for Washington covers 9 months because the program started in April 2021.
State Agency
The oversight agency for the Washington paint stewardship program is the Washington State Department of Ecology.
Program Plan
PaintCare’s program plan for Washington was conditionally approved by the Washington State Department of Ecology on March 2, 2021. This plan describes the operations, outreach, and other activities of the Washington paint stewardship program:
- Washington Architectural Paint Stewardship Program Plan (October 2020, revised February 2021). On December 20, 2024, PaintCare proposed an amendment to the Washington Architectural Paint Stewardship Program Plan requesting an increase to the program fee structure. The fee increase was approved by the Washington State Department of Ecology on July 9, 2025 and will take effect January 1, 2026.
- Washington Program Plan Approval Letter (March 2, 2021)
Law
Laws relevant to the PaintCare program in Washington can be found at https://app.leg.wa.gov/RCW/default.aspx
- Revised Code of Washington
- Title 70A Environmental Health and Safety
- Chapter 70A.515 Architectural Paint Stewardship Program
- Sections 70A.515.010 – 70A.515.130
Sales Tax
The Washington Department of Revenue has provided an explanation of why the PaintCare Fee is subject to state sales tax in the following letter:
- Letter regarding Washington Sales Tax (October 8, 2019).