Paint stewardship: tax, user fee or a program whose time has come? What is the difference between a tax and a user fee? A tax is an amount of money levied by a government on its citizens and used to run the government. A user fee is a fee charged for the use of a product or service. I pay taxes. You most likely pay taxes, too. We pay taxes so that our government can build or maintain roads and operate schools. It makes sense for the government to perform functions for the common good. But should taxpayers carry the burden of paying for the proper disposal of consumer products like paint (which we do through household hazardous-waste programs)?
Manufacturers make and sell paint. I choose to buy paint. Together, we should be responsible for the cost of proper disposal. The Paint Stewardship Bill, passed by the Colorado Senate last week, creates a Colorado-specific program developed by manufacturers working closely with other stakeholders. It is designed so that when buying a can of paint, each consumer pays a little more money – a user fee – which is embedded in the price and not visible to the buyer, but when disposing of the unused paint, there will be free, close and convenient options for us. And more paint will get recycled and reused rather than disposed. Paint stewardship works and is becoming the wave of the future. It truly is a program whose time has come.
Marjorie Griek, director, Colorado Association for Recycling
Denver
