Paint is a recyclable item. Latex paint is collected at collection facilities in many countries and shipped to paint-recycling facilities. How paint is recycled There are many ways that paint can be recycled. Most often, the highest quality of latex paint is sorted out and turned back into recycled paint that can be used. Recycled paint is environmentally preferable to new paint, while still maintaining comparable quality. In many cases, reusable paints of the same color are pumped into a tank where the material is mixed and tested. The paint is adjusted with additives and colorants as necessary. Finally, the paint is fine filtered and packaged for sale. Paint that cannot be reused has other environmentally friendly uses. Non-reusable paint can be made into a product used in cement manufacturing, thereby recycling virtually 100% of the original paint. Recycling one gallon of paint could save 13 gallons of water, 1 quart of oil, and 250,000 gallons of water pollution, 13.74 pounds of , save enough energy to power the average home for 3 hours. Paint recycling by country Canada In Ontario, Stewardship Ontario oversees the collection of waste paint from consumers and diversion from landfill to meet targets approved by the Ministry of the Environment through a program called the Orange Drop Program. The Orange Drop program is an extensive and growing network of collection sites—drop-off locations for paint leftovers and other special materials that can’t go in the Blue Box or the garbage. As an Orange Drop-approved transporter and processor, Loop Recycled Products Inc. takes leftover paint, collected through Stewardship Ontario, and turns it into environmentally friendly recycled paint. Raw material costs and energy consumption are lower than when making paint from scratch. In February 2015, Waste Diversion Ontario approved Product Care as the new Ontario waste paint stewardship operator effectively replacing Stewardship Ontario. In March 2017, Colortech ECO Paints introduced its line of recycled wall and floor paints to specific retail markets consisting of a large network of liquidation and discount stores across Canada and the United States, as well as exporting large quantities to West Africa and South America. Alberta’s paint recycling program started accepting leftover, unwanted paint on April 1, 2008. It is estimated that about 30 million liters of paint is sold in Alberta each year. On average, 5 to 10 percent of this ends up as waste, which can pose environmental and health risks