The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) estimates that about 10% of all paint purchased in the United States becomes leftover – around 64 million gallons annually. Leftover and unusable paint wastes natural resources, causes pollution when disposed of improperly, and costs municipalities thousands of dollars in trash disposal fees. Connecticut has collected over 3.5 million gallons of used paint through the Paint Care Program.
Through the program, you can dispose of your paint in designated paint drop-off sites. To be accepted for drop-off, PaintCare products must be in their original containers of no larger than 5 gallons in size, must have the original manufacturer’s printed label on the container, and must be covered with a secured lid. PaintCare cannot accept open or leaking cans. Empty paint cans should go in the trash.
Use the Site Locator to find the closest paint drop-off site to you. There are five paint drop-off locations in and immediately around New Haven:
- New Haven Regional Water Authority (90 Sargant Drive, New Haven, CT 06511)
- Grand Paint & Carpet Center (451 Grand Ave, New Haven, CT, 06513)
- PPG Paints (390 East St, New Haven, CT, 06511)
- Goodys Hardware (540 Main St, East Haven, CT, 06512)
- Sherwin-Williams (454 Whalley Ave, New Haven, CT, 06511)
All PaintCare sites accept up to 5 gallons per visit (but some take more!). Please call ahead to confirm business hours and ask if they can accept the type and amount of paint you would like to recycle. Sites do not accept aerosols (spray cans), leaking, unlabeled, or empty containers.
