PSA: Found out my old paint cans were actually hazardous waste after 10 years

I was cleaning out my garage last weekend (finally) and decided to sort through this pile of old paint cans from like 2014. Turns out, latex paint that's been sitting that long can actually separate into a nasty sludge that's technically considered household hazardous waste here in Austin. I had to take 12 cans down to the city's special drop-off spot on a Saturday morning. Anyone else been hoarding old paint longer than they should?

4 comments

4 Comments

sullivan.quinn10d ago

I've definitely been there with the "nasty sludge" situation man. It's wild how fast paint can turn into this weird alien goo once it's past its prime. Good on you for actually getting it to the right drop off spot though, a lot of people would just toss it in the regular trash.

henry15010d ago

Is it really that big a deal if some dried up paint ends up in a landfill though?

the_felix10d ago

Is it really that serious though... paint dries out and turns into basically hardened plastic, not like it's leaking toxic sludge into the groundwater or something.

dylan_ward10d ago

You guys talking about paint sludge got me thinking though. Most people don't realize that water based paint can actually dry out and just go in the regular trash if you let it fully harden first. The only stuff that's really an issue is oil based and that's where the hazmat drop off matters.