Metro protects the environment by recycling paint

(APRIL 22, 2022) Today is Earth Day. It's a special holiday to recognize and protect the environment. Organizers say Earth Day is the largest secular (non-religious) holiday in the world. More than one billion people observe Earth Day as "a day of action to change human behavior and create global, national, and local policy changes."

Recycling is one familiar example. Many cities in Oregon pick up recycling at the curb. They usually collect paper, glass, and plastic bottles. There are also special drop-off sites for hazardous wastes, such as batteries.

Metro is a regional government in the Portland area. Part of its job is to manage waste and recycling. One of its most popular programs is for leftover paint. People can drop off up to 35 gallons of paint per day for free at three locations in the Portland area. The paint does not go to a landfill. Instead, the paint is recycled.

Metro carefully mixes similar colors together in giant batches of 2,000 gallons. It screens, or filters, the paint to remove debris (anything that is not paint). The recycled paint is then ready to use indoors or outdoors. People can buy the recycled paint for only $15 per gallon. Metro says that is about half the cost per gallon compared to new paint.

Miller Paint has many stores around Oregon that sell MetroPaint. The company's website says recycling paint helps protect the environment in a number of ways. First, it reduces the need for landfill space and protects that land from contamination by hazardous materials. Second, it saves the water needed to make new paint. Third, it prevents pollution from the mining and extraction of raw materials. Finally, people can use the money they save to invest in other environmentally friendly products.

"It's the true form of the most eco-friendly paint product out there because we're not digging up new, raw materials or resources,” said Oliver Dickston. He is the program coordinator at MetroPaint. "By choosing MetroPaint, you're helping to remake millions of gallons of latex paint and keeping those resources out of landfills."