Kane County Recycling Extravaganza Returns July 19 — Featuring ePaint’s Mission to Turn Old Paint Into New Possibilities

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The Kane County Recycling Extravaganza will take place on Saturday, July 19, from 8 a.m. to noon at 540 S. Randall Road in St. Charles. The event will collect and recycle a wide range of items, including electronics, books, bikes, paint, aerosols, child car seats and strollers, smoke and CO alarms, fluorescent and LED bulbs, six-pack rings, and inkjet cartridges. For full details and a map of the collection stations, visit: kanecountyil.gov/Recycling

Recycling Extravaganza Vendor Highlight: ePaint Recycling

​It is estimated that 10% of house paint sold in the United States goes unused, resulting in 60 to 80 million gallons of paint being landfilled each year. This is the problem that Jim Cosby set out to address when he founded ePaint Recycling in Battle Creek, Michigan, 14 years ago.

ePaint was born from Cosby’s 20 years of experience in paint sales and launched using salvaged equipment from a shuttered paint manufacturer in the Chicago area. Once a one-man operation, ePaint now has multiple employees, including Ranford (Ran) Ndlovu, originally from Zimbabwe, who is a familiar and friendly face at Kane County’s recycling events.

“I love working with Jim, Ran, and the whole ePaint crew. Old paint cans are not always the most glamorous, but they always have fun and keep the energy up,” said Clair Ryan, Kane County’s Recycling Coordinator.

So, what happens to the paint brought to ePaint?

“Every can of latex paint we receive, we open and group by color. We’re particular about how we do that. If it’s still usable, we mix it into a drum with paint of the same color,” explained Cosby. “The empty can is then crushed, and the metal and plastic are recycled. Close to 100 percent of what we receive is recycled."

The recovered paint is enhanced with colorants and additives to create a new, upcycled paint product, which is sold through many Habitat for Humanity ReStore locations and directly by ePaint. Cosby is also transforming unwanted paint into other products, such as mulch dyes, concrete additives, and driveway sealants.

ePaint will be located at Station 8 (the last stop!) at this year’s Extravaganza.

Residents bringing paint should follow these guidelines:

• Bring only latex (water-based) paint
  Note: Oil-based paint is considered hazardous waste and should be disposed of through a Household Hazardous Waste (HHW) program.

• Only bring liquid paint
  Dried paint cannot be recycled and may be safely discarded in household trash.

• Do not mix cans of different colors or ages together

Paint recycling fees:

• Pint cans and smaller – $1

• One-gallon cans – $3

• Two-gallon cans – $5

• Five-gallon buckets – $15

Cash and credit cards are accepted.