The recent news of the approval of a paint collection and recycling program in the state of Conneticut, United States, put the environmental issue in the paint industry back on the table.
While it is true that most companies have strived to develop products with low VOC and train their main buyers in the disposal of hazardous waste, we still have a loose link in the chain: end users.
The architectural segment is the one with the highest consumption and turnover rates in all Latin American countries. Many of these paintings are purchased and applied by end users or "masters" of work, whose technical knowledge is limited to experience.
Usually, when they finish their work, they leave the paint on the original packaging until it solidifies and then throw it away as if it were a common waste; and repeat the same procedure with the tows, brushes and mixers. But the most worrying case is that of the remains of paint mixed with water or solvent that, not being able to be returned to the can, end up in the sewers, generating a serious contamination problem in the water sources.
The case of Conneticut becomes interesting because the collection of waste is done in retail stores or "color centers", where buyers are explained what they can return and how to do it.
The environmental benefit is uncountable, especially considering that 7.4 million gallons of paint are sold in that state alone each year, 10% of which it turns into waste.
What would happen then if a similar system is adopted in countries like Brazil, where more than 1.3 billion liters of paint are sold every year; or Mexico, where about 590 million liters are marketed annually?
