How to dispose of acrylic paint (craft and artist paint)

Is craft acrylic the same as acrylic house paint?

Not for disposal. Acrylic latex house paint in cans is "paint" to recycling programs. PaintCare takes it at drop-off sites in its states.

Artist and craft paints are different. PaintCare lists "art and craft paints" as products it does not accept. That generally means the tubes, jars and bottles sold for art and crafts. You can’t count on a PaintCare drop-off taking them, even in a PaintCare state.

If you have leftover acrylic house paint in a can, see our latex paint guide instead.

Read the label first

The label tells you which path to take.

The Washington State Department of Health says art products labeled Danger, Warning, Caution or Poison are hazardous. Treat them as hazardous waste when you’re done. The department notes that some art pigments contain toxic metals. Paints made with cadmium, for example, carry a California cancer warning on Liquitex labels.

The Art & Creative Materials Institute (ACMI) puts an AP (Approved Product) seal on art materials a toxicologist has found non-toxic when used as intended. Its CL (Cautionary Labeling) seal is for adults and older kids. It means the product is safe if you follow the label, so read the warnings. ACMI says never to give CL products to kids in sixth grade or younger.

How to get rid of leftover acrylic paint

1. Use it up or give it away. A school, art group or community center may want sealed craft paint.
2. For small amounts, squeeze or scrape the paint onto a paper plate, scrap cardboard or a box lined with a plastic bag. Spread it thin so it dries faster.
3. Let it dry hard in a spot away from kids and pets.
4. Put the dried paint in the trash if your local program allows dried paint. Check first: in California, CalRecycle presumes even latex paint waste is hazardous and bans paint from the trash.
5. Take anything with a warning label to a household hazardous waste site or event.

What about empty tubes and bottles?

Liquitex says empty containers with only a little semi-dry acrylic left in them are inert enough to count as non-hazardous waste. They can usually go in your household trash.

The Washington State Department of Health counts an art container as empty when no more than 1 inch, or 3% of its volume, is left. Containers with warning labels that still hold product should go to hazardous waste.

Ask your hauler before putting tubes or small bottles in the recycling bin.

How do you dispose of acrylic paint water?

Liquitex says to wipe brushes and palettes with a paper towel before washing. It says to put paint sludge from the bottom of your sink or brush jar in a waste bin, not down the sink.

Golden Artist Colors says paint solids can clog drains and reach the water system untreated. Here’s a simple approach for most home painters:

1. Wipe brushes and palettes on paper towels first. Let the towels dry and throw them out.
2. Rinse brushes in a jar or bucket, not under the tap.
3. When the water is dirty, let it sit until the paint settles to the bottom.
4. Pour the clearer water off the top into an indoor sink if your home is on city sewer. Never use a storm drain or pour it outside near water.
5. Let the sludge left at the bottom dry out, then scrape it into the trash, or into hazardous waste if the paints had warning labels.

The flocculation method (filter out the solids)

Golden Artist Colors publishes a method that clumps paint solids together so you can filter them out. It uses two garden-store soil amendments: aluminum sulfate (alum) and hydrated lime. Golden also sells a ready-made kit called Crash Paint Solids. Golden recommends safety goggles and a dust mask for handling the powders.

1. For each gallon of paint water, dissolve 10 grams of granular aluminum sulfate (about 1/2 tablespoon, well rounded) in a small jar of water. Stir it into the paint water.
2. Add 9 grams of powdered hydrated lime per gallon (a scant 3/4 tablespoon). Stir hard. Clumps should start to form within a couple of minutes.
3. Check the pH of the clear water with a test strip. Golden says it should be between 5 and 9.
4. Pour the mix through two coffee filters at a time. Golden says it can take several hours, even overnight, to drain through.
5. Golden says the clear water can go to a sanitary sewer, and, in answers to readers, that the filtered water is safe for septic systems. Let the solids in the filters dry and throw them out according to local solid waste rules.

Gouache, tempera and watercolor

These are water-based too, so the same steps apply: use it up, dry out leftovers, and keep sludge out of the drain.

Check the safety data sheet if you’re unsure. Royal Talens’ sheet for its extra-fine gouache says no health warning label is required. It still says not to throw the product out with household garbage or let it reach the sewer. Safety sheets are often written for many countries, so follow your local program’s rules, and when in doubt, ask your household hazardous waste site.

Studios, classrooms and large amounts

Artists working from home studios may be able to use their county’s household hazardous waste program, says the Washington State Department of Health. Commercial studios usually need a hazardous waste contractor to pick up their waste.

Keep hazardous art waste in closed, labeled containers until you have enough to take in. Mop water from cleaning a studio floor is usually fine for the sewer once spills are cleaned up, but ask your local health department if you’re unsure.