The Illinois General Assembly unanimously passed a bill co-sponsored by State Representative Charlie Meier (R-Okawville) that creates a means for consumers to safely dispose of household paint. Meier began working on legislation to make it more convenient for consumers to recycle paint back in 2019. As of today, the legislation (SB 836) has been sent to Governor JB Pritzker’s desk for his signature upon becoming law.
“This legislation will require paint manufacturers to submit to the Illinois EPA a plan for establishing a used paint collection program within 12 months,” Rep. Meier stated. “Consumers will now be able to recycle or dispose of their unwanted paint safely and also in an environmentally-friendly way.”
Under the Paint Stewardship Act, manufacturers will pay a fee to the IEPA to set up a paint collection site, service or event. This will allow residents to drop off unused paint to specific locations free of charge. These collection sites will be within a 15-mile radius for 90 percent of Illinois residents.
Other states that have passed similar paint stewardship laws include California, Minnesota, New York, Connecticut, Maine, Oregon, Rhode Island, Vermont, Washington and Colorado. With the passage of this legislation, residents have the opportunity to clean up storage areas that were cluttered with unused or unwanted paint. In addition, leftover architectural paint presents significant waste management issues for counties and municipalities and can create costly environmental, health and safety risks if not properly managed.
Fees that are collected under this Act will be placed in the Solid Waste Management Fund to be used for administrative purposes.
State Representative Charlie Meier represents the 109th District which includes portions of Bond, Clinton, Madison, St. Clair, and Washington counties.
For more information, please visit CharlieMeier.net or contact Rep. Meier’s district office at 618-651-0405.