| You have completed your do it yourself painting | | | | in the water, the fish and plant life begin to die off. |
| project and your home has a new, fresh look and | | | | Paint that is solvent based has several compounds |
| feel. You are thinking that the work was well worth | | | | and organic solvents. These are like oil to water and |
| the end result as you stand and look around. Then | | | | will not mix easily. Eventually they will mix with the |
| you notice the almost empty cans of remaining paint. | | | | water and when they do they will take oxygen |
| Disposing of unwanted paint after the job is done | | | | away from the plant life. Paint that is solvent based |
| can be a perplexing situation. Just pouring the paint | | | | has harmful environmental ingredients like zinc, |
| out will be not be a very responsible thing to do as it | | | | chromium, mercury and lead. This kind of heavy |
| will be very harmful to the environment, not to | | | | metal sediment is pure poison in the water system. |
| mention it is actually an illegal thing to do. The paint | | | | There are ingredients in solvent based paint they are |
| will get into the storm and sewer drains and will | | | | toxic to water organisms and fish and can cause |
| eventually contaminate the water system. When you | | | | tumors to form in the fish. That is not good eating |
| clean your paint tools it is better to do this inside | | | | for us! |
| rather than washing the paint from the tools into the | | | | When you are cleaning your paint rollers and brushes |
| ground that will eventually end up in the drainage | | | | after painting with a water based paint it is best to |
| system polluting our water sources. Eco friendly | | | | squeeze as much of the unused paint back into the |
| painting is also about disposing of the waste paint in a | | | | paint cans. There is a tool designed for doing this |
| responsible way. | | | | with your paint roller to make it easier. Then you can |
| Why is paint so harmful to the environment? Part of | | | | fill a five gallon bucket or empty container with water |
| the ingredients in water based paint is solid pigments | | | | and wash your brushes and rollers in this until most |
| that will make the water cloudy or muddy by adding | | | | of the paint is gone. After this water sits for a while, |
| particles that create sediment in the water. This | | | | the paint residue will settle in the bottom of the |
| sediment is really harmful to fish as it will clog their | | | | container and then it can be disposed of as a solid |
| gills and stop them from being able to breathe. When | | | | waste like the paint left in the paint cans. To cut |
| the sediment gets bad enough from pollution in the | | | | down on the cleaning process you can put your roller |
| water, the murky water blocks the sunlight and this | | | | in big plastic bags to keep them fresh until the next |
| means that the photosynthesis process of the plants | | | | use. It is a lot easier and will save the environment as |
| in the water is damaged. Healthy foliage in the water | | | | well. Your local solid waste disposal plant will have |
| is essential to the health of all the inhabitants of the | | | | their own guidelines about disposing of the unwanted |
| water. Other ingredients in paints are substances that | | | | paint. |
| are biodegradable. As these substances break down | | | | |