I have been really trying to live greener so I try to consider the long-term effects of my actions.  I recently painted my house and ran into a dilemma.  Which way is more green?  Rinsing the paint roller out with water or throwing away the paint roller and getting a new one?  One fills up the land fill, one uses a lot of water.  I have discovered a lot of things I do are wrapped around this conundrum.

Honestly I would think reusing the rollers would be the more environmentally friendly option.  Yes, we should always work to conserve water. But how much goes into the production of the paint roller between raw materials, transportation, factory pollution, packaging, etc.  before it even hits a landfill?

Glad to see I'm not the only one who thinks about these things. In your case, one of the questions to ask "Is the paint roller intended for more than one use or is it disposable.?" and "If they can be reused, what is the best way to remove the paint and store if for next time?" You may want to see if the manufacturer has an 800 number to call and ask the question. I've used "cheap" rollers that flake and leave clumps in the paint and end up throwing them away. I have found that for indoor paint, if you drain the majority of paint back in the can and let it dry, you can peel it out and throw it in the garbage rather than washing it down the drain.

I'd say the greener way is to reuse, at least for as long as possible.  Buy a better quality roller brush that lasts longer.  When I've been painting and needed to continue rolling the next day, instead of washing the roller, I put it in a plastic sack, tightly wind it around the roller to get rid of the air inside, twist tie it closed and put in the refrigerator until the next day.

If you're concerned about water consumption to clean the roller when you're done, try using "gray" water for the initial washing - that is, water saved from the shower (put a bucket in the shower) or the water from hand-washing dishes...  Save that water in a container, then use it for your roller and brush clean-up after you're done.  If you feel a final rinse in totally clean water is needed, then at least you cut down on the water used for painting clean-up.

Dear All, This discussion just brings to mind another tooting-of-the-municipal-horn regarding how things are done in San Francisco.  We recycle paint.  The sanitation company mixes the paint together, & sells to non-profits at a low price paints in green, beige, & white colors.  So far as paintbrushes go, I'm fairly sure that they are recyclable as "hazardous waste," like batteries.  Yuors in Him, Deb