Each day the office of Bartholomew County Solid Waste Management District (BCSWMD) receives phone calls asking about various ways to dispose of items and/or recycling options. Quite a few calls come from people that want to know about curbside services. BCSWMD does not have any curb-side programs.
All the wonderful curbside pickup services (trash, recycling and yard waste) are programs of the city’s Department of Public Works, and their phone number is 812-376-2509.
One question that we can answer is about paint. People want to know what to do with the paint that has been sitting in their basement or garage for years. Hopefully the label is on the container, but sometimes the label is gone and they have no idea if the paint is water or oil based. And it is very important when wanting to dispose of the paint to know what you’re dealing with (as close as possible). The common sense approach is to remove the lid and see if there is water or oil sitting on top of the paint.
Oil-based paint is accepted through our Household Hazardous Waste program. Each Bartholomew Co resident can bring up to 5 gallons of oil-based paint (no auto body paint) per visit to the Recycling Center, 7:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Tuesday through Friday.
Water-based paint should be dried out and then placed in the trash. There are various ways to dry water based paint, like leaving the lid off for a few days or adding saw dust or kitty litter to the can. You can also set a box in a trash bag and pour the paint in the box little by little until the layers of paint are dried. Water based paint should be dried out so that those handling the trash do not have to deal with wet paint.
You might be asking why is oil-based paint hazardous and water-based paint not? Most paints fall into one of two categories: water-based or oil-based. Water-based formulas are sometimes referred to as latex, vinyl or acrylic. Oil-based formulas can be referred to as alkyd, polyurethane or varnish. Oil-based paints are regulated as a “hazardous waste” due to their flammability and the presence of volatile organic compounds (VOCS) such as xylene and toluene. Water-based paints are generally not regulated since they are nonflammable. If the paint label says that you can clean up with soap and water, it is not household hazardous waste.
We are happy to receive your calls and questions. The Recycling Center is open 7:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday for all your recycling needs. Please visit our website bcswmd.com for more information on our Household Hazardous Waste (HHW) program, or to find other recycling options. We take in a lot more than paint.
Kari Spurgeon is the education coordinator at the Bartholomew County Solid Waste Management District. She can be reached at 812-376-2614 or [email protected].
