EPA'S JOBS THROUGH RECYCLING PROGRAM: DEVELOPING NEW MARKETS IN INDUSTRY GOVERNMENT FOR RECYCLED LATEX PAINT

摘要

Is it possible that waste or "leftover" latex paint will enjoy the same popularity as aluminum cans, paper and glass? Will leftover latex paint have value as a recycling commodity in the next decade? Waste latex paint has a significant financial and material management impact on public sector collection programs. Latex paint is the largest waste material, by volume, collected by government operated household hazardous waste programs in Minnesota. Minnesota's private sectors such as commercial contractors, industrial formulators and applicators generate a significant volume of leftover latex paint in the State; conversely, this sector has limited cost-effective options to properly manage this material for recycling. In 1997, the Minnesota Office of Environmental Assistance (OEA) was awarded funding from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) Jobs Through Recycling (JTR) program to develop a market-based approach for managing the growing volume of waste paint collected in Minnesota. Specifically, the goals of this program was to improve collection and recovery, increase paint recycling, develop value-added applications for paint and create new jobs in recycling operations. This paper presents an overview of Minnesota government and industry's use of a market-based approach to lower the cost associated with the management of leftover paint by 14 percent and ultimately expand markets for recycled latex paint by over 500 percent. Minnesota's market development model demonstrates the efficacy creating an industry driven, private sector market solution for managing leftover paint.