Every week, Denver residents dispose of hundreds of cans of latex paint through our Household Hazardous Waste Program. Although there is no fee for Denver residents to use the program, recycling paint is an expensive part of the program.
Follow these tips to help reduce the need to dispose of leftover paint:
1. Buy just what you need. Save money and reduce waste, by knowing how much paint you really need before going to the paint store. Painting projects require about one gallon of paint to cover 400 square feet of smooth surface. To determine how much paint you need for a project, just use a paint calculator like the one found online at
Paint Calculator.
2. Choose the RIGHT color before buying a quart of paint. Buying quart after quart of paint in order to find the perfect shade of color wastes paint and money. Determine if you’ve picked the right paint color a more economical way by getting “wet paint samples” at one of the following Denver Metro Area locations:
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Belcaro Paint & Decorating Center: 1 ½ ounce samples available for all paints sold. (5475 Leetsdale Dr., 303-757-5435)
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Lowes: ½ pint samples available for all paints sold at some locations. Call stores ahead to confirm availability.
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Or, ask your local paint supply or hardware store if they provide wet samples” in vials or sizes smaller than a quart.