When it comes to household waste, tossing a leftover paint can in the garbage might seem harmless. But one sanitation worker’s TikTok video shows why that’s a costly mistake. After an improperly discarded can of bright blue house paint exploded inside his garbage truck, gallons of “garbage juice” dyed the street, creating a massive mess and a lesson in proper paint disposal.
Featured VideoNicholas wrote, “This is WHY we don’t throw paint cans away!!!”
Nicholas’ Aug 19. 2025, post went viral with 5.9 million views. Blue Man Group and Tobias Fünke quips notwithstanding, commenters were appalled and fascinated by what waste collectors have to deal with.
Advertisement“I feel like this happens all over the world all the time. We just don’t hear about it.”
Painting the town blue—literally
“Oh my goodness,” Nicholas reacted to the waterfall of blue paint spilling from the garbage truck. His fellow workers laughed and shook their heads at the river of blue paint spreading down the alley.
AdvertisementNicholas likened the color to the cartoon character Smurfs’ blue skin. “Like we crushed the whole Smurf family,” he wrote.
He assured commenters, “We get it cleaned up pretty quick.”
@jaridnicholas Now ain’t this something!#foryou #garbage #garbageman #garbagetruck #garbagejuice ♬ original sound – Jarid Nicholas
Reactions to the paint disposal fail—and a salute to sanitation workers everywhere.
“Ppl throw away paint cans? I thought you just kept it in your garage for your next project that you SWEAR you’re gonna do eventually.”
Advertisement“I’d be livid if that spilled at my house and I didn’t throw away the paint. (Not blaming the garbage man).”
“Blue collar to blue collar i respect the heel out of you guys. you’re the backbone to every city, county, parish, ward across the country. if you guys stop the country stops. no one i respect more than the garbage men and plumbers but you guys are easily #1.”
AdvertisementHow to properly dispose of paint cans
Show appreciation and respect for the people who keep it all running by observing simple guidelines for waste disposal: Determine whether the discarded paint is latex (water-based) or oil-based.
After the paint dries and hardens, dispose cans of latex paint in the household garbage. Sanitation pros recommend setting nearly empty paint cans out in the sun so they can dry out. If a significant amount of paint remains in the can, mix it with sawdust, cat litter, or paint hardener before putting it out with the trash.
AdvertisementOil-based paint is classified as “household hazardous waste.” Take it to an allocated collection site or drop-off location for disposal. Check with your city or county’s waste collection agency to find local resources for disposing of household hazardous waste.
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