Up Paint partners with TerraCycle

Up Paint, a Michigan-based upcycled paint company, has partnered with TerraCycle, an international leader in recycling hard-to-recycle materials.

Up Paint specializes in sustainable, earth-kind paint and is focused on solutions to recycle leftover paint in light of its contribution of microplastics in the ocean. The Up Paint x TerraCycle – Paint Zero Waste Box, is available to consumers, and the company says it keeps unused paint out of landfills, incinerators and oceans. 

"Up Paint and TerraCycle share a common goal of rethinking waste and developing practical solutions for today's complex waste challenges," Up Paint CEO Dustin Martin says. "The Paint Zero Waste Box is a testament to our commitment to moving the world of paint towards a circular economy." 

The company says Up Paint x TerraCycle – Paint Zero Waste Box offers an easy and fast solution to recycle any brand of unwanted latex or acrylic paint. Consumers place cans of leftover paint in the box and ship it back to the company using the preaffixed shipping label. All viable paint will be sorted, processed and reconditioned into new paint. 

According to the company, demand for paint recycling services continues to grow. The complex material, hazardous characteristics and inability of local recyclers to make a profit recycling the paint make latex and acrylic paints ineligible for curbside recycling services. 

“At TerraCycle, we have always been committed to making recycling hard-to-recycle waste as easy and convenient as possible,” says Tom Szaky, founder and CEO of TerraCycle, which is based in New Jersey. “Together with Up Paint, we are spearheading a sustainable alternative to traditional paint disposal methods to ensure unused paint doesn’t end up in landfills, incinerators or our oceans.” 

TerraCycle has created Zero Waste Boxes to provide solutions for hard-to-recycle waste that cannot typically be recycled through standard municipal recycling services.