September 30, 2025
After more than 30 years of service, Metro—the Portland-area regional government—is closing its beloved MetroPaint recycled-latex paint program by the end of 2025. This marks the end of an era, but also the embodiment of a powerful Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) success story.
BUILDING A MODEL FOR STEWARDSHIP
MetroPaint began in the early 1990s as part of Metro’s household hazardous waste program, repurposing leftover latex paint collected from the public. In 1999, it launched its first recycling and retail operation in Oregon City, processing latex paint into new recycled paint which it sold to consumers. It was an early demonstration of how stewardship could create value while serving communities.
From July 2010 through June 2025, MetroPaint’s impact was profound:
- Opened the equivalent of 12.7 million 1-gallon cans
- Processed 5.3 million liquid gallons of latex paint
- Recycled 3.7 million gallons into new paint products
- Distributed 92,000 gallons for reuse
Over the decades, the program produced more than 2.2 million gallons of high-quality recycled paint and sold more than 1.6 million gallons to more than 130,000 customers.
SETTING THE STANDARD FOR RECYCLED PAINT
MetroPaint products, certified under the Green Seal GS-43 standard, proved that recycled paint could meet rigorous performance requirements. Available in 10–12 consistent colors and priced 80% lower than conventional alternatives, MetroPaint helped build consumer trust in recycled-content products.
Much of MetroPaint’s national impact can be traced to the leadership of Jim Quinn, the program’s long-time manager. Metro was a founding PSI member, and Jim was instrumental during the national discussions that PSI mediated to create the first U.S. EPR program developed by consensus with the paint industry, governments at the local, state, and federal levels, recyclers, and other stakeholders. This groundbreaking agreement was a big deal—and Jim and Metro were critical to making it happen. Their role helped establish PaintCare and set the standard for collaborative product stewardship.
METROPAINT WINDS DOWN, BUT THE STEWARDSHIP PROGRAM CONTINUES
In 2025, Metro announced that rising operational expenses, aging equipment, and declining sales would force the recycler to close by year’s end. While the closure reflects financial realities, it also highlights how far paint recycling has come since MetroPaint first broke ground.
The good news for Oregonians Is that despite the closure, the statewide paint stewardship program operated by PaintCare will continue on.
“MetroPaint was a partner of PaintCare from day one and without them the Oregon program would not be what it is today,” said Fred Gabriel, Senior Director of Operations at PaintCare. “We know that other paint processors are willing and available to continue the good work MetroPaint has conducted for much of the last fifteen years. PaintCare will soon start negotiating with paint transportation and service providers which were selected from a request for proposals process that predates the closure announcement.”
Since the Oregon PaintCare program launched in 2010, MetroPaint has recycled an estimated 4 million gallons of latex paint collected by the program. Today, PaintCare operates nearly 200 drop-off sites across Oregon—including many in the Portland metro area—ensuring no interruption to recycling services for households and businesses. To find a drop-off site, visit www.paintcare.org
METROPAINT’S LASTING LEGACY
MetroPaint leaves behind a remarkable legacy. It demonstrated that recycling leftover paint is not only environmentally sound, but also operationally viable. It built trust in recycled-content products, created market expectations for quality and affordability, and laid the groundwork for PaintCare’s statewide system and stewardship programs in 12 states and Washington D.C.
As PaintCare noted: “We thank MetroPaint for their partnership over the last 15 years and look forward to continuing our commitment to providing convenient paint recycling opportunities for Oregonians.”
Metro’s leadership shows how governments can catalyze stewardship, then enable industry to sustain it—a true model of EPR in action.
Sources
- “MetroPaint Recycling Program to Shutter at Year’s End,” Willamette Week, July 24, 2025 https://www.wweek.com/news/2025/07/24/metropaint-recycling-program-to-shutter-at-years-end/
- MetroPaint program history, processing, and volumes (2.2M gallons produced, 1.6M gallons sold) https://wsra.net/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/jim-quinn_metropaint-overview.pdf
- Green Seal GS‑43 certification and performance details https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MetroPaint
- PaintCare history and MetroPaint’s role in its origin https://openoregon.pressbooks.pub/evergreenintermediate/chapter/metro-protects-the-environment-by-recycling-leftover-paint/
- Safe disposal and PaintCare collection information https://www.masterrecycler.org/news/2024/7/2/safe-disposal-of-household-paint-in-the-portland-metro-region