Program Details
PaintCare offers drop-off sites throughout Rhode Island where the public can take unwanted paint for recycling. These sites are available to households, businesses, 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 Rhode Island is based on container size as follows:
Official Documents
Summary of 2024 Rhode Island Annual Report
This one-page infographic highlights the successes from the most recent reporting period (January to December 2024) for the Rhode Island PaintCare program. 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 Reports
- 2024 Annual Report (January – December 2024)
- 2023 Annual Report (January – December 2023)
- 2022 Annual Report (January – December 2022)
- 2021 Annual Report (January – December 2021)
- 2020 Calendar Year Annual Report (January – December 2020)
- 2020 Annual Report (July 2019 – June 2020)
- 2019 Annual Report (July 2018 – June 2019)
- 2018 Annual Report (July 2017 – June 2018)
- 2017 Annual Report (July 2016 – June 2017)
- 2016 Annual Report (July 2015 – June 2016)
- 2015 Annual Report (June 2014 – June 2015)
State Agency
The state oversight agency for the Rhode Island program is the Department of Environmental Management (DEM).
Program Plan
PaintCare’s program plan for Rhode Island describes the operations, outreach, and other activities of the Rhode Island Paint Stewardship Program:
- Rhode Island Paint Stewardship Program Plan (May 14, 2014)
- PaintCare transitioned the Stewardship Organization in Rhode Island to PaintCare Rhode Island LLC as described in a letter to the Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management (January 9, 2017)
Law
Laws relevant to the PaintCare program in Rhode Island can be found at http://webserver.rilin.state.ri.us/Statutes/
- Rhode Island General Laws
- Title 23 – Health and Safety
- Chapter 23-24.12 – Proper Management of Unused Paint
- Section 23-24.12-1 – 23-24.12-6
Sales Tax
The Rhode Island Department of Revenue Division of Taxation has provided an explanation of why the PaintCare Fee is subject to state sales tax in the following letter: