Environment, Recycling
Twenty Cans of Old Paint
My neighbor told me a dirty secret the other day. “I’m cleaning out my garage,” he told me, adding, “and I’m dumping the old paint cans into my garbage.” I was shocked. This man drove a hybrid car, had disposed of all his gas-powered lawn equipment, including his much-loved leaf blower, and replaced them with battery-powered machines. He hated Republicans because of their lack of support for funding to fight climate change. He told me it is unfortunate that Jay Inslee, the environmentalist Democratic governor of Washington state, is not the president.
With some reluctance, I asked him why he didn’t dispose of the paint more responsibly. “Because it’s too complicated” was his answer.
Is it complicated to dispose of unwanted paint? To find out, I went on the web. Yes, there are places to dispose of unwanted hazardous waste, but for a lot of it, including oil-based paint, I’d have to drive about a half hour to get there. I found myself more sympathetic to my friend — and less likely to clean out my garage.
I’m wondering why my state, Maryland, can’t pass a law that requires any store that sells paint, oil, gasoline, or any other hazardous liquid, to accept returns of…
