WashingtonContact: Jeremy Jones, West Coast Program Manager, jjones@paint.org (415) 590-0259
It will soon be more convenient than ever to recycle paint in Washington. The Washington paint stewardship program is expected to launch in spring 2021, pending approval from the Washington State Department of Ecology.
Once the program launches, PaintCare will offer drop-off sites throughout the state where the public can take unwanted paint for recycling.These sites will be available to households, businesses, government agencies, and others with leftover paint in Washington.
Once the program launches, participating PaintCare drop-off locations in Washington will accept the following:
The architectural paint products we accept are referred to as “PaintCare Products” and must be in containers that are no larger than 5 gallons in size. PaintCare Products must be in their original container with original manufacturer label and secure lid. PaintCare does not accept spray paint (aerosols) or anything in containers larger than 5 gallons. We cannot accept open or leaking cans. Please review our detailed list of opens in a new windowPaintCare Products vs. Non-PaintCare Products.
PaintCare programs are funded by a fee (referred to as the PaintCare fee) which is applied to the purchase price of new paint sold in the state. Once the program launches, the fee is paid to PaintCare by paint manufacturers. This fee is then added to the wholesale and retail purchase price of paint, passing the cost of managing postconsumer paint to everyone who buys paint. You may see a line item on your receipt or invoice for each container of paint you purchase.
There will be no charge for dropping off paint at a PaintCare drop-off site.
The PaintCare fee is not a tax; it does not go to the state to operate the program. The PaintCare fee is also not a deposit; you don’t get it back when you drop off paint–a common misunderstanding.
Fees fund all aspects of the paint stewardship program. This includes paint collection, transportation, recycling, public outreach, and program administration, and to manage “legacy” paint, material that has been accumulating in homes and businesses from before the program started.
Although fees for Washington have not yet been determined (pending approval by the Washington State Department of Ecology), they are expected to be similar to other states with a PaintCare program. The fees are based on container size and vary across the programs:
| Container Size | Fee |
| Small containers (e.g., pints & quarts) | $0.35–$0.49 |
| Mid-size containers (e.g., 1-2 gallons) | $0.75–$0.99 |
| Larger sizes up to 5 gallons | $1.60–$1.99 |
Paint manufacturers that sell paint directly or indirectly in a PaintCare state are required by each state’s paint stewardship law to register their company and brands with PaintCare. Pre-registration is now available for Washington. Visit our Manufacturers page to learn more and register.
Professional painting contractors are one of the groups most affected by PaintCare. If you are a painting contractor, please review the information below to learn more about PaintCare, the fees, and paint recycling services available from PaintCare.
PaintCare programs are funded by a fee (referred to as the PaintCare fee) which is applied to the purchase price of new paint sold in the state. Once the program launches, the fee is paid to PaintCare by paint manufacturers. This fee is then added to the wholesale and retail purchase price of paint, passing the cost of managing postconsumer paint to everyone who buys paint. You may see a line item on your receipt or invoice for each container of paint you purchase.
There will be no charge for dropping off paint at a PaintCare drop-off site.
The PaintCare fee is not a tax; it does not go to the state to operate the program. The PaintCare fee is also not a deposit; you don’t get it back when you drop off paint–a common misunderstanding.
Fees fund all aspects of the paint stewardship program. This includes paint collection, transportation, recycling, public outreach, and program administration, and to manage “legacy” paint, material that has been accumulating in homes and businesses from before the program started.
Although fees for Washington have not yet been determined (pending approval by the Washington State Department of Ecology), they are expected to be similar to other states with a PaintCare program. The fees are based on container size and vary across the programs:
| Container Size | Fee |
| Small containers (e.g., pints & quarts) | $0.35–$0.49 |
| Mid-size containers (e.g., 1-2 gallons) | $0.75–$0.99 |
| Larger sizes up to 5 gallons | $1.60–$1.99 |
It is expected that contractors will pass the fees on to their customers in order to recoup the fees they pay on the product. When estimating jobs, contractors should take these fees into account by checking with your suppliers to make sure the quotes for paint products include the fees. You should also let your customers know that you will be including these fees in your quotes.
To use the PaintCare program for oil-based paint, a business must qualify as an exempt generator under federal and any analogous state hazardous waste generator rules. Please visit www.paintcare.org/VSQG for more information on exempt generator rules. If your business does not qualify as an exempt generator, it will not be able to use the program for oil-based paint, but it can still use the program for latex products.
If you have a large amount of unwanted paint, PaintCare offers door-to-door pick-up service that benefits contractors.
Once the program launches, this free service will be available to households or businesses with at least 200 gallons of paint.
Washington Architectural Paint Stewardship Program Law requires retailers of paint to include a stewardship fee (referred to as the PaintCare fee) in the sale price of program products, only sell products registered with the program, and provide information about the program to consumers when they purchase architectural paint. Retailers may also volunteer to become a paint drop-off site – see bottom of page for more information. More details about the three requirements are provided here:
a. Pass PaintCare fee to consumers: PaintCare programs are funded by a fee (referred to as the PaintCare fee) which is applied to the purchase price of new paint sold in the state. Once the program launches, the fee is paid to PaintCare by paint manufacturers. This fee is then added to the wholesale and retail purchase price of paint, and retailers must pass these fees down to the consumer. Although fees for Washington have not yet been determined (pending approval by the Washington State Department of Ecology), they are expected to be similar to other states with a PaintCare program. The fees are based on container size and vary across the programs:
| Container Size | Fee |
| Small containers (e.g., pints & quarts) | $0.35–$0.49 |
| Mid-size containers (e.g., 1-2 gallons) | $0.75–$0.99 |
| Larger sizes up to 5 gallons | $1.60–$1.99 |
b.Sell Registered brands: Once the program launches, retailers must make sure they do not sell unregistered architectural paint brands. PaintCare will post lists of registered manufacturers and brands on this page once it has submitted its program plan to Washington State Department of Ecology. If you are a retailer and do not see a manufacturer or brand of paint sold in your store on these lists, please contact PaintCare at (855) PAINT09.
c. Provide information to consumers: Once the program launches, retailers must provide information about the paint stewardship program and recycling opportunities in Washington to consumers when they purchase architectural paint. PaintCare will provide program brochures, stores posters and other materials to help retailers meet this requirement. See ordering information below.
Printed materials are available to retailers and facilities at no charge. Once the program launches, additional materials will be available including brochures and counter mats.You will be able to order materials online, or place an order by calling PaintCare at (855) PAINT09 or by sending a completed form by email, fax, or regular mail.
The following materials will be available:
Fact Sheet: How to Become a Drop-Off Site. Explains the responsibilities for paint retailers that volunteer to take back leftover paint from the public.
PaintCare welcomes partnerships with municipal agencies, especially those that operate household hazardous waste (HHW) collection programs, landfills, and transfer stations. PaintCare covers the cost of paint storage bins, paint transportation and recycling, public outreach, and education. There is no monetary compensation for operations or labor costs associated with serving as a drop-off site. To learn more, please see the following fact sheets and interest forms. For municipal agencies that wish to offer services to PaintCare in addition to serving as a drop-off site, monetary compensation may be negotiated. These services include reprocessing paint at your site, bulking paint in situations where storage space is limited, offering usable paint in original containers to the public (reuse program), and transportation from municipal-owned satellite locations to a main site. Read more about becoming a PaintCare drop-off location:
Watch our video about becoming a PaintCare drop-off location:
Municipalities that have contracts with PaintCare may request partial funding for pre-approved joint outreach activities that promote PaintCare drop-off sites and events. Past projects have included newspaper advertising, direct mail, and radio campaigns. For details, please read the following fact sheet.
PaintCare encourages household hazardous waste programs, reuse stores and others to operate paint reuse programs (i.e., swap shops or exchanges). Reuse programs return good quality unused paint to the local community at low or no cost. Reuse is a preferred method of waste management. To encourage reuse, PaintCare will compensate paint drop-off sites operating a reuse program under a contract with PaintCare. For details, please read the following fact sheet:
The Washington paint stewardship program is required by the Architectural Paint Stewardship Program Law, signed by Governor Jay Inslee on May 9, 2019.
PaintCare’s program plan for Washington was submitted to the Washington State Department of Ecology on July 28, 2020. This plan describes the operations, outreach, and other activities of the Washington paint stewardship program:
The oversight agency for the Washington paint stewardship program is the Washington State Department of Ecology.
The Washington Department of Revenue has provided an explanation of why the PaintCare Fee is subject to state sales tax in the following letter:
