Each year, Americans buy millions of gallons of paint to protect and beautify their homes and businesses, but some of that paint goes unused. In fact, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) estimates that 10 percent of all architectural paint purchased each year goes unused — up to 80 million gallons. That’s enough paint to fill 121 Olympic-sized swimming pools. Over the years, this leftover paint piles up in basements, garages, and other storage spaces. Sadly, some of this paint will never be used and will end up in a landfill.
But there’s a better way to manage leftover house paint, stain, and varnish that helps the environment, saves local governments money, and creates green jobs!
U.S. paint manufacturers formed a non-profit organization, PaintCare, that works with local paint stores and government officials to set up convenient, easy-to-use paint recycling locations — most are paint and hardware stores that volunteer to take back leftover paint, while others are reuse stores (like Habitat for Humanity), household hazardous waste (HHW) facilities, recycling centers, and landfills. There are drop-off locations all over the state of Oregon, as well as California, Colorado, Connecticut, the District of Columbia, Maine, Minnesota, Rhode Island, and Vermont.
When you take your leftover paint to a PaintCare drop-off location, it is boxed up and taken to a facility where it is sorted by quality and whether it can be reblended back into recycled-content paint, burned as fuel, biodegraded, or used for another beneficial purpose. In Oregon, more than half of latex paint is made into new paint, and nearly all of the oil-based paint is used as fuel. PaintCare even sets aside about 7 percent of latex paint and 6 percent of oil-based paint for reuse in Oregon — it is distributed at government paint reuse programs or at reuse stores. Very little paint is disposed of in landfills — only when the paint is dried out or otherwise cannot be repurposed.
Did you know that PaintCare has processed nearly 27 million gallons (270 million pounds) of leftover paint in eight states and the District of Columbia since 2010, including more than 5 million gallons in Oregon alone? Nearly all of this paint has been reclaimed for recycling, reuse, or other purposes. The amount of paint collected is anticipated to grow as awareness of paint recycling spreads and households and businesses take advantage of convenient locations to drop off their leftover paint.
PaintCare also helps save government organizations the cost of managing leftover paint. PaintCare works with HHW facilities, transfer stations, and other government collection programs by covering their costs for transporting, recycling, and properly disposing of leftover paint they collect from the public or generate in their operations. This can help free up resources for other services in a community.
To make the program widely accessible, PaintCare relies upon the service of a variety of workers who contribute to all aspects of paint recycling — including collecting, transporting, and processing millions of gallons of paint.
The best part of this paint recycling program is that it is easy to use. You just take your leftover paint to a drop-off location in your community. Nearly all Oregonians—98%—live within 15 miles of a permanent location where they can drop off unwanted paint. Most of these locations are open during regular business hours, several days a week, all year round. You can find locations by entering your address or zip code in a site locator tool available at paintcare.org or by calling PaintCare at (855) 724-6809.
You make PaintCare possible. Each time you buy a gallon of house paint, 95 cents of the cost goes towards making this program a reality. This small stewardship fee helps conserve a valuable resource and helps make it possible for your old paint to be part of someone else’s new painting project. It really makes a difference!
Say goodbye or make amends.Image via Canva - Photo by Inna Postnikova
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Parents of young children get more time with them if they work from home.Photo credit: Canva
Grieving couple comforting each other
This response to someone grieving a friend might be the best internet comment ever
When someone is hit with the sudden loss of a friend or loved one, words rarely feel like enough. Yet, more than a decade ago, a wise Redditor named GSnow shared thoughts so profound they still bring comfort to grieving hearts today.
Originally posted around 2011, the now-famous reply was rediscovered when Upvoted, an official Reddit publication, featured it again to remind everyone of its enduring truth. It began as a simple plea for help: “My friend just died. I don't know what to do.”
What followed was a piece of writing that many consider one of the internet’s best comments of all time. It remains shared across social media, grief forums, and personal messages to this day because its honesty and metaphor speak to the raw reality of loss and the slow, irregular path toward healing.
Below is GSnow’s full reply, unchanged, in all its gentle, wave-crashing beauty:
Why this advice still matters
Mental health professionals and grief counselors often describe bereavement in stages or phases, but GSnow’s “wave theory” gives an image more relatable for many. Rather than a linear process, grief surges and retreats—sometimes triggered by a song, a place, or a simple morning cup of coffee.
In recent years, this metaphor has found renewed relevance. Communities on Reddit, TikTok, and grief support groups frequently reshare it to help explain the unpredictable nature of mourning.
Many readers say this analogy helps them feel less alone, giving them permission to ride each wave of grief rather than fight it.
Finding comfort in shared wisdom
Since this comment first surfaced, countless people have posted their own stories underneath it, thanking GSnow and passing the words to others facing fresh heartbreak. It’s proof that sometimes, the internet can feel like a global support group—strangers linked by shared loss and hope.
For those searching for more support today, organizations like The Dougy Center, GriefShare, and local bereavement groups offer compassionate resources. If you or someone you know is struggling with intense grief, please reach out to mental health professionals who can help navigate these deep waters.
When grief comes crashing like the ocean, remember these words—and hang on. There is life between the waves.
This article originally appeared four years ago.