These are some of the many forms of painting materials on the market of which you should be aware.

Painting materials, including paint, paint thinner, primer and other similar products, are common household products that are also common sources of stormwater pollution. The chemicals contained within these products are toxic to both wildlife and humans - if not disposed of properly, they could infiltrate your drinking water supply.

To reduce chances of painting materials contaminating water, use latex paints (water-based) rather than oil-based paints as often as possible, and only purchase the amount of paint needed to finish the task at hand. Using non-aerosal paints in place of spray paints is also a good idea. If you cannot use up all of the painting material purchased, find someone who can. You can check with local schools, community theater groups and other local groups if they could use the excess supplies.
 

Proper paint disposal begins with drying out any excess paint (throwing away the container with paint in it still allows for leakage at landfill sites). In a safe, well-ventilated area (such as outdoors), pour a half inch thick layer of paint and allow it to dry. Once fully dry, that layer of paint can be thrown into the trash, and another layer of paint can be allowed to dry. Repeat this process until all of the paint is gone. The containers can be thrown away if all of the materials within them are dry (you should leave the lid off of the dry containers when throwing it away to let disposal workers know that they are dry).

Important things to make sure not to do with paint and its container:

• do not bury them
• do not throw them in the trash without proper preparation (as explained above)
• do not pour them on the ground
• do not dump them down the sewer
• do not pour them into a septic tank