Under PaintCare™ CPCA manufacturer members adhere to the following guidelines in program development and implementation:

• An industry-run product stewardship organization collects and allocates funds for the full costs of recycling with full transparency
• A consumer-based cost recovery system provides a level playing field for manufacturers and retailers
• Legislation and regulation or some form of government oversight is most often used to protect industry from anti-competitive issues particularly with respect to the financing system
• The best approach is to have costs fully transparent to the consumer to reinforce the benefits of recycling as a central part of overall consumer education
• Consumer education is a cornerstone of the system to reduce the volume of leftover paint and the overall costs of managing leftover paint
• Paint collection and management must be cost-effective to lessen the impact on both industry and the consumer, but mandatory collection and recycling targets are not appropriate for paint given that it is a consumable product
• Consideration is given to leftover paint collection in rural areas and in areas where cans of paint are less than one-third full
• Oil-based paint should be collected primarily for fuel blending due to its ignitability and lack of suitable recycling options
• There is no mandatory “take-back” at retail locations, although retailers and manufacturers may take-back product voluntarily as an obligated steward
• Industry partners and government infrastructure must work toward sharing the cost and responsibility of managing post-consumer paint for the benefit of the environment and human health
• Existing government collection infrastructure, where available, should be used and where it is non-existent the program may need to subsidize new collection system infrastructure