Paint Waste and Wash Water in Bendigo

EPA Victoria lists paint among the chemicals that pollute stormwater. It says everyone must eliminate or reduce risk of harm and prevent waste from entering stormwater drains so far as reasonably practicable, which includes wastewater.

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What paint waste and wash water in Bendigo actually involves

Its advice for householders is to clean paintbrushes in a sink. The page, last updated on 7 May 2025, is general stormwater advice and does not set a rule for a particular painting job; it does not say what to do with a roller tray, a bucket of wash water or paint left in a tin.

Why it belongs in a quote

A house painted from the outside puts brushes, rollers and wash-down water within reach of a gutter or a drain before anyone has thought about it. The EPA's line is that waste must be kept out of the stormwater drains, so the useful question is where the rinse water will go.

Paintbrushes being rinsed in a deep laundry sink — paint waste and wash water, Bendigo. Illustrative example.

What to ask

Ask where rinse water and paint waste from the job will go, and who is responsible for it. If paint on an older house has to be scraped, the lead paint page covers the dust and the plastic sheets the Lead Alert guide says to use.

The rules check on the costs page lists EPA Victoria's lines with the date they were read.

Plastic drop sheets taped along the base of an outside wall with a ladder standing on them — painting an older home and lead paint, Bendigo. Illustrative example.

Home painting costs and rules check