Tip of the Week – Discarding Latex Paint Cans
Before you discard any latex paint cans, allow the remaining extra paint in the cans to dry completely. Do this by leaving the tops of the cans off over night. Once the latex paint solidifies it is no longer considered a hazardous material and can be safely thrown out with other household trash.
Did not know this and happy to have found this tip on your site. It will actually come into use because we have 3 or 4 cans of latex paint kicking around our garage for the past year.
Thanks. I have been looking for an answer to this question for some time.
Sure, but what do you do if the cover is off the can for several days & there’s still a lot of liquid on top of the can? I’m trying to discard cans that have been in my basement since before I move in 15 years ago, and this stuff doesn’t dry!
Green Recycling Guy and Marion, it will likely take several weeks for the paint to dry. Try adding kitty litter, sawdust, leftover powdered concrete, dirt, etc. to speed the process. Keep in mind when it is dry it can be thrown into a landfill but shouldn’t. It still has all the same stuff in it to pollute dirt and water supplies. Consider instead companies like Green Sheen (www.greensheenpaint.com) that recycle the paint rather than landfill it. There are not many around right now but they are becoming more prevelant.