Paint product recovery program: paint recovery: education and outreach.

Assembly Member Schultz's paint product recovery legislation expands California's existing program by requiring manufacturers to implement comprehensive paint recovery and recycling initiatives while investing in workforce development. The bill redefines the program's scope to encompass paint recovery - the collection and transportation of leftover paint for reuse, processing, or recycling to reduce environmental impacts and disposal costs.

The legislation mandates that paint manufacturers develop and maintain educational materials for consumers, contractors, and retailers about proper paint handling and recycling. These materials must include multilingual communications, visible retail signage, consumer handouts, and online resources detailing collection site locations. The bill also requires manufacturers to partner with California apprenticeship programs to train future painters in environmental stewardship practices.

Under the amended provisions, the program maintains its existing framework for paint collection and processing while adding explicit requirements for paint recovery and reuse. The Department of Resources Recycling and Recovery continues to oversee manufacturer stewardship plans, which must now incorporate both the expanded recovery objectives and workforce training components. The bill preserves current definitions of paint products while clarifying exclusions for industrial coatings and health and beauty items.