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Monday April 28 2025

What to Do with Leftover Paint in a Condominium?

With the arrival of spring, condominiums are restarting their beautification projects, minor renovations, or refreshes of common areas. It’s also the perfect time for a deep clean of mechanical rooms, maintenance areas, or storage spaces. Among the forgotten items, one often finds… unused or half-empty paint containers.

But did you know that these paint residues must be recycled carefully and not thrown in the trash?

Good news: there’s a simple, accessible, and eco-friendly solution thanks to the Éco-Peinture program.

An Easy and Well-Thought-Out Option

For over 20 years, Éco-Peinture has provided Quebec residents with a network of nearly 1,200 drop-off locations, across more than 700 municipalities.

Their network allows everyone to safely dispose of leftover paint or empty containers. Whether at an eco-center or a participating hardware store, chances are there’s a drop-off point near your building. Find the nearest one.

They accept leftover paint, whether in aerosol form or not, and their empty containers — whether full, half-used, or completely empty.

These products are then sent to a specialized facility where they are sorted, filtered, and recycled. The result? Brand-new paint, reused rather than wasted!

Since its creation, Éco-Peinture, a non-profit organization, has helped divert over 130 million kilograms of paint and containers from landfills. In 2024 alone, more than 7 million kilograms of paint and containers were recovered.

Why Is This Important for a Condominium?

In buildings, products like paint can accumulate in maintenance rooms, mechanical areas, or basements, often without anyone knowing if they are still usable… or what to do with them.

Organizing an occasional collection — or simply informing residents — can:

Free up storage space
Make the work of janitors or maintenance providers easier
Avoid issues during emergencies or inspections
Prevent potential soil and groundwater contamination
Demonstrate eco-responsible practices to co-owners

A Few Simple Tips for Effective Recycling

1. Keep the paint in its original container

Avoid transferring paint into glass or plastic jars: these containers can break or leak.

The label must remain intact to identify the type of product (latex, alkyd, aerosol, etc.).

Note: If you have already transferred your paint, some eco-centers may accept unidentified products with proof of residence — but it depends on local policies.

2. Check the accepted products

The Éco-Peinture program accepts the following:

Residential paints (latex, alkyd, enamel primers and paints, metal paints and rust inhibitors, aluminum paints, melamine paints, swimming pool and marine paints without antifouling agents)
Aerosol paints
Liquid interior and exterior stains
Sealers and protectors (for wood, masonry, asphalt (water-based or latex only)), varnishes, lacquers, and protective oils
Empty paint containers and aerosols

Check the list before heading out.

Note: The following are not accepted: industrial paints, automotive paints, specialized products like artist paints, antifouling paints, two-component epoxies, wood preservatives containing pesticides, paint-related products like strippers, solvents and thinners, and other products like grout, joint compound, specialized coatings, glues, adhesives, roofing and foundation coatings, cleaners, polishes, unidentified or unlabeled containers, etc.

3. Use a calculator to avoid waste

Ideally, it’s better to buy just what you need. Éco-Peinture offers an online calculator to help you estimate the right amount of paint based on the surface area, openings, and number of coats planned.

In Summary

Responsible management of leftover paint isn’t complicated — and can easily be incorporated into your condominium’s maintenance routine. Whether after a renovation project or during spring cleaning, think about recycling.

Recycling paint residues also helps reduce environmental contamination caused by landfill disposal. The recovered paints are processed in a specialized facility and transformed into new products — a 100% circular solution!

So this spring, think about your paintbrushes — but also about your paint containers!

A small action, a tidier common space, and a big help for the environment!