According to the city of Dallas, there are items in your home that should never be disposed of in your regular commercial or residential garbage bins. The most common Household Hazardous Waste items are batteries, oil, antifreeze, and last but not least, paint. So how to dispose of paint in the Dallas-Fort Worth area?
We have a few options for you.
If you know of how to dispose of paint in the Dallas-Fort Worth area, you’re halfway there to doing your part in keeping Texas beautiful for many years to come. Many of these methods of disposal can be applied to any city in the state of Texas, but you will need to look up the HHW centers that are closer to your city if you’re not in the DFW area.
Without further ado, here are four different ways how to dispose of paint in Dallas-Fort Worth.
Latex paint can be thrown in the garbage but ONLY when you let it dry!
Please take note that latex paint is a water-based paint. If you can wash the paint off with water-you’ve been using latex paint. You can only throw away latex paint once it is no longer a liquid.
The general rule of thumb is that if your paint can is less than ¼ full, you probably don’t need to save what’s left. Leave the lid open for a couple of days or until the paint fully dries up and hardens.
Once the paint is no longer a liquid, you’re free to throw it out with the regular trash. If you have oil-based paint that needs to be disposed of, follow the next method of disposal.
Take oil-based paint to a Household Hazardous Waste Facility
Oil-based paint is ALWAYS considered a household hazardous chemical. It contains harmful chemicals that need to be disposed of properly at an HHW facility. You can also take your latex paint to these facilities but why bother if you don’t have to make the trip for anything else?
Bring your oil-based paint to the Dallas County Home Collection Center. This is a free service for residents of the following cities:
- Seagoville
- Sunnyvale
- University Park
- Unincorporated areas of Dallas County
- Wilmer
You will need proof of residence when you’re dropping off your paint (driver’s license and a utility bill). Without proof of residence, they charge a $95 fee for managing your waste.
Use left-over paint
Sometimes the simplest solution is the most effective. The truth is, there’s no problem with disposing of your paint if there’s no left-over paint to begin with!
Add an extra coat of paint to the project you’ve finished. Try painting something smaller, like a table or bench that could use a fresher look. Maybe you could create an accent wall or just paint the handles on your cupboards! A fresh coat on your outdoor furniture is always surprisingly pleasant.
Get as creative or as your spouse will allow or be as sensible as you think you need to be but make sure you put the paint leftover in the can to good use. It’s better than it sits somewhere in a dump taking up space.
Donate unused paint
If you have a decent amount of paint that you’re not going to use, give it away to someone else who will get some use out of it. Whether you’re a community member of a church, school or you coach a soccer team, ask around. You can check with schools, community centers, or even local charities to see if they could use it.
We live in a time with incredible networking abilities so take advantage of them! List your cans of paint on Facebook Marketplace or post in on your social media account. If you have a decent amount of paint, you could give it away on Craigslist or any one of the local peer-to-peer websites that connect people.
Final thoughts…
Many people take for granted the fact that a garbage truck rolls by every week, scoops up, and carts away whatever is in the roll-away bin. Often times we just think we can throw anything in the bin and it magically goes away with no problems. That however is not the case when it comes to household hazardous waste (HHW).
There is a long list of items that should not be thrown in the garbage can because they present a real and present danger to our environment. Paint is one of the items on the list that needs to be addressed to avoid contaminating the earth and water and to protect the Texas we have grown to love and appreciate.
