Root Causes of Leftover Paint Work Group A April 15th and 16th, 2004 Sacramento, California Dialogue

April 15-16, 2004 Sacramento Meeting PSI Paint Stewardship Project Team Members Scott Cassel, PSI – Facilitator Alison Keane, National Paint and Coatings Association Harry Finkbone, ICI Paint North America Mark Lipton, Tremont Paint Georges Portelance, Eco-Peinture Kelly Wilson, MN Office of Environmental Assistance Melanie Wheeler, NH Department of Environmental Services Jen Holliday, Chittendon County, Vermont Leslie Wilson, Solid Waste Management Coordinating Board, MN

April 15-16, 2004 Sacramento Meeting PSI Paint Stewardship Project Workgroup Goals Develop a full understanding of the behaviors/root causes that result in leftover paint and why consumers manage it as a waste, as well as the relative magnitude of each root cause (coordinate with workgroup on education). Recommend innovative strategies to address root causes (pilot projects and/or wider agreements).

April 15-16, 2004 Sacramento Meeting PSI Paint Stewardship Project Background Step by step discussion on how leftover paint is created – discover opportunities/solutions not noticed before. More questions about how leftovers created. Researched existing survey data – WA & MN. – Neither discuss why/how leftover paint created.

April 15-16, 2004 Sacramento Meeting PSI Paint Stewardship Project Options Hire consultant – Tag onto market research survey (purchase) – Administer stand-alone survey (disposal) Survey ourselves – Retail (purchase) – HHW collection facilities (disposal) System Dynamics Model

April 15-16, 2004 Sacramento Meeting PSI Paint Stewardship Project System Dynamics Model Decided first to model the problem - lay out all issues to determine questions and areas of opportunities for solutions. Researched modeling techniques. Developed a model for larger group to review. Developed questions for further survey work. Noted trends.

Put in basement Put in garage Measure area to be paintedDifferent stores attract certain types of customers Consumer asks clerk for helpPurchase more paint for touch ups 5 gallons 1 gallon 1 quart 1 pint Thought surface would need two coats but needed one Take to HHW facility Put touch up amount in smaller container and take remainder to Choose colorConsumer estimates amount on his own Buy more paint because it’s Most economical (2 gal. vs. 1 gal. + 1 qt.) Applicator-brush, roller HHW facility Give it away Note surface to be painted for absorption Consumer chooses pre-mixed-doesn’t interface with clerk Purchase more paint because don’t want to come back –“time” issue Conditions-humidity, temperature Put in garbage Pour down the drain Choose sheenConsumer chooses custom blend, gets help from clerk Purchase more paint because don’t want to come back – color matching Dry out and put in garbage No measurementPaint is cheap so buy more than needed No color choice No notice of absorption rate How often do consumers guess? Will measuring eliminate leftovers? What do clerks advise? What % of consumers actually ever use extra paint for touch ups? Is color matching really not possible? How often do people actually do this? How often are leftovers due to finite packaging choices? Modeling the Problem of Leftover Paint in the Home or Business draft How often do consumers guess? Consumer Decision to Paint What do consumers do most often and why? Consumer’s Pre-purchase decisions Decisions at Point of Purchase Regarding How Much to Buy Additional Choices at Point of Purchase Paint Quantity Choices at Point of Purchase Paint ApplicationAfter use— storage/disposal Consumer chooses store

April 15-16, 2004 Sacramento Meeting PSI Paint Stewardship Project Additional Areas to Be Surveyed To be surveyed at the paint store: – Pre-purchase and Point of Purchase – Packaging and Cost Structure To be surveyed at HHW collection facilities: – After Use and Disposal

April 15-16, 2004 Sacramento Meeting PSI Paint Stewardship Project Conclusions Solutions likely to combine strategies to: – reduce leftover paint as much as possible – profitably recover remaining paint/value. Residential paint consumers cannot realistically be expected to perform to expert standards (exact measurements, surface condition analysis, accurate quantity calculations, etc.). Behavior change needed to reduce amount of paint purchased - to better eliminate unwanted leftovers.

April 15-16, 2004 Sacramento Meeting PSI Paint Stewardship Project Conclusions (cont.) Clerk education needed at (some?) stores to best advise consumers on the proper amount of paint to purchase to better eliminate unwanted leftovers. Consider packaging design changes to offer consumers the proper amount of paint for purchase to better eliminate unwanted leftovers. – Pilot project idea: offer variable package sizes (e.g., 3.5 gallon) – Further research: compare paint package size collected with paint package size purchases

April 15-16, 2004 Sacramento Meeting PSI Paint Stewardship Project Conclusions (cont.) Behavior change needed regarding consumer storage and disposal of leftover paint to best protect product value for eventual reuse or recycling. Option: Create “value” for leftovers (e.g. bottle bill) Bottom Line: Paint may be a natural leftover – How can we best capture its value? Pilot project idea - Joint NGO, industry, government research to discover value in waste paint.

April 15-16, 2004 Sacramento Meeting PSI Paint Stewardship Project Options: Feedback Sought Hire consultant – Tag onto market research survey (purchase) $8,700 – Administer stand-alone survey (disposal) $44,000 Survey ourselves – Retail (purchase) – HHW collection facilities (disposal)

April 15-16, 2004 Sacramento Meeting PSI Paint Stewardship Project If Survey Ourselves Retailers – Mark Lipton lead – Seek 6-10 retail retail participants – Seek 100 customer responses in 6 U.S. regions HHW Facilities – Lead by gov’t agencies in workgroup – Seek 100 responses from residents in 6 U.S. regions – Permanent vs. one-day events – Seasonal variations (May/June and Sept/Oct)

April 15-16, 2004 Sacramento Meeting PSI Paint Stewardship Project Next Steps Refine survey questions – Hire consultant? Administer survey at retail and HHW facilities (May) Obtain data/analyze (June) Report results at June paint dialogue meeting Evaluate strategies/prioritize Develop pilot projects