Can your paint do good For the world?

It’s probably a question you’ve never considered. The answer is yes.

At EarthPaint, we recycle your old latex paint into a high-quality, sustainable product that works for any job, inside or outside. We aim to do three things: make a great product people will love, clean up the dirty paint industry and help our community by hiring adults with disabilities.

Founded in 2013 by Chris McCarthy, EarthPaint is a 501c(3) nonprofit based in Wood Dale, Ill. EarthPaint relies on contributions and fees for recycling old paint to fund its operations and employment of adults with disabilities.

A longtime paint professional, Chris saw lots of unwanted – but perfectly good – paint accumulate and go to waste. He wanted to find a way to keep the endless gallons of paint he encountered from entering the landfill, where it can harm the environment by leaking into the ground water.

So he began recycling paint he collected to create a product that’s just as good as the name brands because it’s made from the name brands. Today, EarthPaint has recycled more than 70 million pounds of paint, diverting more than 670 million pounds of carbon from the atmosphere. With upwards of 1 billion tons of paint gathering dust or at risk of going to landfills, paint recycling operations like EarthPaint serve a vital purpose in the industry.

Not only do we keep old paint out of landfills, our product vastly reduces the carbon emissions of new paint. Every gallon of EarthPaint’s sustainable product saves 100kw hours of energy (vs. manufacturing new paint), or about 115 pounds of carbon. Annually, we save the paint industry from emitting 11.5 million pounds of carbon. Additionally, we use captured rainwater to provide the 13 gallons of water each gallon of paint requires.

Creating meaningful opportunities

EarthPaint employs about a dozen individuals with special needs, through a partnership with local nonprofits. For many EarthPaint employees, who are part of a community that is often given marginal work opportunities, it’s the first time they’ve had meaningful employment. With EarthPaint, they have purposeful career opportunities, which can be life changing.

Learn more about our employment program here

Who uses EarthPaint’s sustainable paint product?

EarthPaint’s recycled product can be used for interior and exterior projects, and retains the UV inhibitors that are common in name-brand products. Our fortified paint is used by professionals, homeowners, organizations and municipalities, and stands up better to the elements than off-the-shelf paint.

Learn more about our paint here

Volunteer at EarthPaint

Come help us recycle! We are always looking for eager volunteers looking to get their hands – and maybe their clothes – dirty!

We have volunteer opportunities that are perfect for students, retirees and anyone who is looking to make a difference. It’s a dirty job, but somebody’s got to do it.

Interested in helping out? Contact us today!