City of Tonawanda to host paint recycling event

TONAWANDA, N.Y. – Whether you’re looking to celebrate Earth Day or finally tackle that spring cleaning to-do list, the City of Tonawanda is giving residents an eco-friendly way to clear out old paint.

On Saturday, April 26, the city is teaming up with GreenSheen, an environmentally conscious paint recycling company, to collect unwanted paint products. The event will take place from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. in the City of Tonawanda High School parking lot.

GreenSheen will accept latex and oil-based paints, stains and shellacs, lacquers, sealers, varnishes, and textured coating.

“Our recycling rate at our plants is 91%, plus or minus a percent,” said Charlie Porter, vice president of business development at GreenSheen. “If it’s water-based and it’s liquid, we can recycle it.”

Once collected, GreenSheen sorts the paint by color and remanufactures it into new latex paint. But the recycling doesn’t stop there, the company also recycles the cans.

“One-gallon paint cans are typically made out of polypropylene,” Porter said. “We take the handle off, the rim off, the grommets if they’re metal, we shred that can. Then it goes to a facility in Alabama where they make new cans out of it.”

The initiative is made possible through the New York Paint Stewardship Program, which is funded by a small fee included with paint purchases in the state. The program allows GreenSheen to raise awareness and promote the importance of recycling paint.

City of Tonawanda Mayor John L. White said the event benefits both residents and the environment.

“The more cars that come, the better it is for the environment—and it’s better for homeowners to get this stuff out of their houses,” White said. “So, they don’t have that chance of, ‘let’s just dump it here, let's just get rid of it over here.' No, we don’t do that.”

GreenSheen encourages residents to pre-register to help keep the event running smoothly.

If that half-used can of paint has been collecting dust in the basement, you can give it a second life and help protect the planet while you’re at it.