Reuse scheme saves 200,000 litres of waste paint

The scheme collects half-used tins of paint from household waste recycling centres that would otherwise be disposed of and also paint which is donated directly by retailers. Community RePaint says this has considerable environmental benefits.

The scheme is run by not-for-profit environmental consultancy Resource Futures, and has been sponsored by paint manufacturer Dulux, since its inception in 1993. Currently there are 65 Community RePaint schemes in operation around the UK.

Community Repaint programme co-ordinator Clair Lloyd commented that by removing paint from waste streams and back into use has a significant impact for the environment, and for local communities.

She said: Paint shouldnt be going to landfill at all, but consumers do sometimes put it into household waste. If it is thrown away it normally has to be treated as hazardous waste, which is more expensive to process and time consuming. However if it is not properly sorted, it can leach into the water system which can cause significant environmental problems.

We open and check all the tins to make sure the paint is liquid and that it is usable, but we will also check the weight of the tin to see how much is inside because if there is only a small amount it is not useful to anybody.”

Projects

Once the paint has been received and processed by Community Repaint, it will then be available for use in community projects such the Princes Trust in Newham, London, who redecorated the childrens ward at Newham University Hospital, using paint donated to the re-use scheme.

By getting in touch with Community RePaint, local community groups are able to receive paint at a lower cost than if purchased brand new, while also reducing the amount that goes to waste.

Ms Lloyd added: We aim to lay our scheme out like a DIY store. Community groups will contact us to make an appointment, and then they will take what they need from the shelves like in a shop, with a suggested donation of 1 per litre, which is considerably less than they would normally pay. If someone comes in extreme circumstances, if they have had a fire at their home for example, we would aim to help them out as well.

People have to be prepared not to get the colour they might have been hoping for, as you can imagine there is a lot of demand for cream and magnolia, so we dont always have a lot of that in stock.

Currently Community RePaint is looking to strengthen its network in Scotland, where it has one scheme operating in Inverness, but is hoping to establish other is Aberdeen, Glasgow and Edinburgh.