The initiative, known as PaintCare UK, has been developed by the British Coatings Federation (BCF) on behalf of UK paint manufacturers.
The industry-funded trial will run across the West Midlands Combined Authority area from March 2026 and is designed to explore how a national paint return system could operate.
Waste and recycling company Biffa has been appointed as the scheme’s logistics and treatment partner, managing the safe collection, transport and processing of returned paint and packaging.
£500k investment into scheme
PaintCare will allow both consumers and professional decorators to return leftover decorative paint and empty packaging to selected participating retailers.
The scheme brings together a number of major paint brands – Dulux, Johnstone’s Paint, Crown Paints, Craig and Rose, Valspar and Little Greene – working alongside retail partners including B&Q, Brewers Decorator Centres, Dulux Decorator Centres and Johnstone’s Decorating Centres.
Commenting on the launch, Tom Bowtell, CEO of the British Coatings Federation, said: “For too long, it has been too difficult for people to do the right thing with leftover paint.
“This trial marks a major step forward – not just for our industry, but for consumers and tradespeople who want simple, practical ways to reduce waste.”
Around £500,000 has been invested in the pilot, which is intended to test practical approaches to collecting and managing leftover paint while helping to unlock reuse and recycling opportunities at scale.
According to BCF, the trial forms part of a longer-term ambition to develop a national paint take-back scheme, with lessons from the pilot expected to inform a planned UK-wide rollout in mid-2027.
Paint return pilot
Collections began in February with a phased introduction across participating stores through March 2026. The regional pilot will run for approximately three months.
Under the scheme, clearly marked PaintCare return areas will be installed in participating stores.
Customers will be able to bring back leftover decorative paint as well as empty packaging, which must be handed directly to a member of staff rather than placed in a self-service drop-off point.
The trial has been designed to test several operational aspects of a future nationwide system. These include levels of consumer participation and convenience, the effectiveness of in-store collection models, and the logistics of transporting and treating returned materials.
It will also assess how recovered paint can be reused and how packaging from paint products can be recycled more effectively.
Bowtell added: “By working together, we can test solutions at a scale that would not be possible individually and use real evidence from this trial to help shape a system that works nationally.”
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