HB 1652, concerning paint stewardship, would create a paint recycling program for Washington's residents and businesses.

The bill passed out of the House Environment & Energy committee and Appropriations committee and awaits House floor vote. Note the Legislature determined this bill is "necessary to implement the budget," because the paint fee is taxable, and is therefore not bound by the regular bill cutoff dates.

Watch video of the February 5 and March 14 hearings on TVW.
The legislature's website now allows online comments on bills.

Paint stewardship is supported by businesses, local governments, and environmental organizations. The legislature has considered but not passed similar legislation since 2012. Similar industry-funded and run paint stewardship programs exist in eight states and the District of Columbia, while British Columbia's program began in 1994.

Tools for Local Government in Washington

• Paint Stewardship fact sheet (one-page for elected officials) (PDF)
• Paint Stewardship: Why Local Governments Want a Law in Washington State (PDF)
• Comparing Paint Management in Washington and Oregon (PDF)
• Summary of Paint Hazards (PDF)
• How Does the Paint Assessment Work? (PDF)
• Management of Unwanted Architectural Paint in Washington (PDF) January 2013 report describing Washington's current paint collection and recycling programs and projecting what a product stewardship system would look like if implemented

Paint stewardship in the news

• Paint recycling program sees continued success in Connecticut, Waste 360, Nov. 29, 2018
• PaintCare recycles more than 2 million gallons of paint from Maine, VT, CT, and RI, NERC, Oct. 30, 2018
• Paint stewardship saves local government millions of dollars a year, Waste 360, July 5, 2018
• PaintCare California recycles 12 million gallons, Santa Clarita Gazette, Nov. 17, 2017
• Paint recycling program teaches skills, offers second chances, Oregon Metro, Nov. 7, 2017
• Paint Recycling: More Fun Than Watching It Dry, Washington State Recycling Association (WSRA) event in Vancouver, WA and Portland, OR, Dec. 1, 2016
• Paint recycling bill can reduce waste, create jobs, The Olympian, Feb. 3, 2016
• Paint stewardship saved local governments more than $200,000, Marin County (CA) news release, Jan. 25, 2016
• Washington delegation tours MetroPaint to see recycling in action, Oregon Metro (article and video), November 2015
• Portland Radio Project's Nov. 9, 2015 interview with PaintCare and MetroPaint representatives
• Building suppliers paint a prettier picture for materials recycler, Portland Business Journal, April 16, 2015