SOFA Project, in Bristol, are celebrating the 5th year of their Community RePaint scheme, having opened their doors to paint reuse in 2018. Happy Birthday Bristol City! Staff and volunteers from Community RePaint, Bristol City have been collecting paint that would otherwise have gone for disposal and redistributed it to individuals, charities and community groups at affordable prices to help brighten homes and community spaces.
Pictured: CEO Nicci holding a tin of donated paint.
SOFA project is a reuse and recycling charity plus a social enterprise. They have three shops in Bristol; Gloucester Road, Old Market and Day’s Lane. Alongside paint, they sell a variety of second-hand furniture and electrical items at affordable prices.
Since opening Community RePaint Bristol City have redistributed over 30,00 litres of reusable paint to individuals, families and community projects in Bristol, emptied out, the paint would fill a whole shipping container! It’s a real achievement to not only to have stopped this large quantity of paint from going to waste, but also to see it brighten the lives of many people in the local community.
Pictured: Tins of donated paint, ready for purchase from the SOFA Project shop in Old Market.
Community RePaint – Bristol City is part of the UK wide Community RePaint network, a network of paint reuse schemes working to solve the issue of the estimated 50 million litres of paint that go to waste in the UK each year. In the last year alone, the schemes in the network collected over 458,000 litres of paint from individuals, retailers, decorators and manufacturers, and redistributed over 285,000 litres of paint to individuals, families, community groups and charities, adding colour to the lives of over 189,000 people.
Pictured: The SOFA project as part of the Waste Nothing reuse event in 2019.
“We are so happy that SOFA Project is able to be part of the brilliant Community RePaint scheme. We have amazing customers who regularly tell us how much they appreciate being able to buy such affordable paint. We also have great links with local paint retailers, manufacturers and decorators who all donate leftover paint to us, as well as a strong partnership with our local waste company, Bristol Waste who we also collect from. We really do just love paint!” says Nicci Peck, SOFA Project’s CEO.
The UK wide Community RePaint network manager, Martin Pearse, reflected “Community RePaint Bristol City have done a fantastic job over the last 5 years. The celebrations provide a great opportunity to recognise all the hard work that has gone into making the scheme such a success and to reflect on all their achievements which has brightened community spaces and homes over the years. We are excited to continue supporting the scheme and look forward to seeing what they accomplish in years to come.”
If you are a trader, manufacturer or retailer with leftover paint you can contact the scheme to find out how they can help you. The SOFA project cannot accept leftover paint directly from householders, however Bristol City Council residents can drop off their paint for reuse at three recycling centres in the area. These are the St Phillips, Avonmouth, and Hartcliffe Reuse and Recycling Centres. Householders need to book a slot via Bristol Waste to access these sites.
If you need paint to redecorate your home, or if you are a charity or community group in need of paint for a project, contact Community RePaint Bristol City to find out more by calling 0117 954 7800, emailing info@sofaproject.org.uk or visiting one of their three sites during their opening hours to purchase paint. They are based at:
07866 730963
48-54 West Street
Bristol
BS2 0BL
Monday – Saturday
9:30am – 4:30pm
07970 057289
19-21 Gloucester Road
Bishopston
Bristol
BS7 8AA
Monday – Saturday 9:30am – 5pm
0117 954 7800
Day’s Lane
St Phillips
Bristol
BS2 0QA
Monday- Friday 9am-3pm
