Illinois’ new paint fee takes effect, with critics calling it another burden on taxpayers

By Catrina Barker | The Center Square contributor
The Center Square

(The Center Square) – A new statewide fee on paint products adds a small charge to each container sold as part of a program lawmakers say will fund paint recycling. Critics argue it’s an unnecessary burden on consumers.

Illinois residents can drop off leftover paint at more than 250 anticipated sites statewide through a new PaintCare recycling program. Supporters say it will make disposal easier and cut waste.

But Brian Costin, deputy state director at Americans for Prosperity Illinois, argues the new PaintCare fee, 45 cents to $1.95 per container, is simply another tax in a state residents already view as overburdened.

“We’ve seen a lot of failures by the Pritzker administration to do good things with the taxes and fees that he’s increased,” said Costin. “There are now seven surcharges on people’s electricity bills, supposedly to help the environment, but we’ve seen virtually nothing come from them, no new conservation efforts, no new places for people to enjoy nature, nothing.”

The paint stewardship law passed the legislature in 2023 and was signed by Gov. J.B. Pritzker. Under the law, manufacturers must fund and operate a statewide paint collection system and promote reuse and recycling.

Illinois Environmental Protection Agency Director James Jennings called the rollout “an important step forward” in expanding recycling access, while state Sen. Linda Holmes, D-Aurora, who sponsored the legislation, said residents have been requesting an easier way to dispose of old paint for years.

Costin argued the new fee is unnecessary because many communities already have local paint disposal programs, meaning residents will now pay twice.

“A lot of municipalities already run their own paint collection programs, special drop-offs, designated sites, that sort of thing, so it’s not clear to me why we need a statewide system on top of that,” Costin said. “Those communities are still getting taxed, even though they already have solutions in place. If residents are already paying for this through their waste collection fees, why should they pay for it again? It doesn’t make any sense.”

While the PaintCare fee is expected to add only a small amount per container, Costin said the cumulative impact matters in a high-cost state.

“Money is stretched tight in Illinois, in large part due to our high taxes,” he said. With the added cost, “maybe there are some consumers who will wait longer to repaint their house, or maybe they won’t do it at all.”

Costin also criticized the state’s track record on infrastructure initiatives, pointing to rising gas taxes he says have not produced commensurate improvements.

“Our road taxes went up over 150%. Our roads haven’t gotten any better, according to the U.S. Department of Transportation, they’re less than 1% better,” Costin told The Center Square.

PaintCare programs already operate in 10 other states and Washington, D.C. Nationally, the program says it has collected about 85 million gallons of postconsumer paint.