www.dirtdoctor.com
https://www.dirtdoctor.com/efl/dirtDoctor/

Latex paint in compost!
https://www.dirtdoctor.com/efl/dirtDoctor/latex-paint-in-compost-t1979.html
Page 1 of 1

Author:  gwfrase [ Sun Sep 14, 2003 10:10 am ]
Post subject:  Latex paint in compost!

I have been composting for years, but have no idea what to do with this. My painters rinsed their brushes into my compost bin.

Author:  user_48634 [ Sun Sep 14, 2003 12:39 pm ]
Post subject: 

They didn't do you any real favors, but as long as it was latex, at least they did minimal harm. Latex dries to a plastic material that resists microbial decomposition. At least it should kill anything.

Author:  Enzyme11 [ Fri Sep 19, 2003 10:28 am ]
Post subject:  Re: Latex paint in compost!

gwfrase wrote:
I have been composting for years, but have no idea what to do with this. My painters rinsed their brushes into my compost bin.


If it's acrylic latex, it probably is a styrene and/or butadiene polymer variant, which yields nitrogen oxide, carbon monoxide, carbon dioxide, and hydrocarbons such as styrene/butadiene as breakdown products. That's quite a bit different from natural rubber latex, but then latex paint is designed to resist biodegradation. (Imagine how much non-degradable paint is used in the world in a year and how many brushes are washed off in kitchen sinks!) Even so, a robust compost pile should do as good a job as any with it. I doubt the amount is large, so I'd probably compost away. The option is to dump it, ultimately in a landfill, which I don't think is a very good choice.

Page 1 of 1 All times are UTC - 6 hours
Powered by phpBB® Forum Software © phpBB Group
https://www.phpbb.com/