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Municipal leaders, recyclers press for statewide paint stewardship program to ease disposal costs
Summary
The Massachusetts Municipal Association, Newton's mayor and regional waste managers urged the Joint Committee to back paint stewardship legislation that would shift end‑of‑life paint management from towns to producers, reduce household hazardous‑waste costs and expand recycling of latex and oil‑based paints.
Representatives of the Massachusetts Municipal Association, the city of Newton and regional waste districts told the Joint Committee on Environment and Natural Resources on Oct. 12 that the state should adopt a paint stewardship law to shift end‑of‑life paint management to producers and relieve municipal budgets.
Newton Mayor Ruth Ann Fuller told the committee that paint stewardship "shifts both the financial and managerial burden for the disposal and recycling of paint" back to manufacturers, and she said Massachusetts would follow 12 other states and the District of Columbia that have implemented similar programs. Fuller noted the cost and logistical burden Newton bears to operate household hazardous waste events and the seasonal limitations of its latex paint recycling exchange.
Jan Amin, executive director of the Franklin County Solid Waste Management District, said a single household hazardous waste event in his region collected 1,600 gallons of oil‑based paint from 390 households and that paint disposal accounts for a disproportionate share of hazardous‑waste event costs. Amin testified that costs for hazardous‑waste disposal rose between 30 and 60 percent from 2021 to 2024, increasing municipal fiscal pressure.
Supporters told the committee that stewardship would create a statewide program to reuse and recycle latex and oil‑based paints, reduce illegal disposal and make collections more convenient and frequent for residents. Advocates also pointed to existing multi‑state programs where manufacturers finance collection, transport and recycling.
Opposition and questions: No formal opponents of paint stewardship spoke at the hearing; witnesses asked the committee to adopt language consistent with other states’ successful programs and to include aerosols (a provision in the House bill) to capture additional paint products.
Next steps: Sponsors asked the committee for a favorable report so the bill can advance. The committee did not take a vote at the hearing.
Sources: Testimony from the Massachusetts Municipal Association, the city of Newton and Franklin County Solid Waste Management District, Joint Committee on Environment and Natural Resources hearing, Oct. 12, 2025.
