Wallasey based reuse enterprise Recipro Wirral is celebrating the 10th year of their Community RePaint scheme and remanufacturing centre, having first opened their doors to paint reuse in 2013.
Staff from Community RePaint Wirral 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.
Reicpro Wirral is no stranger to reusing materials. They are a multi-award-winning business set up to reduce the amount of waste being created by the construction industry. They accept donations of surplus building materials, office furniture, and also paint, which are all sold into the local community for a fraction of their retail price. They also collect paint from several recycling centres across the North West of England, as well as in the West Midlands.
The sheds, garages and cupboards of Merseyside are holding enough colour to paint towns numerous times over. In the past 10 years, Community RePaint Wirral has collected over 863,000 litres of leftover paint, redistributing it to local communities, saving money and brightening the lives in the region and surrounding communities.
Community RePaint Wirral 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 2022, the schemes in the network collected 458,351 litres of paint from individuals, retailers, decorators, and manufacturers, and redistributed 285,495 litres of paint to individuals, families, community groups and charities, adding colour to the lives of over 245,806 people.
The scheme is also one of two Community RePaint remanufacturing centres, taking paint reuse to the next level. Supported by AkzoNobel, the owners of Dulux, Recipro Wirral is using pioneering technology to transform ‘waste’ paint into a remanufactured, high-quality paint, sold at a community friendly price available for UK-wide delivery. This process enables larger quantities of leftover and surplus paint to be collected, remanufactured, and put into new container, branded as ‘ReColour’.
The paint has brightened the spaces of hundreds of community organisations, including stables at the Horses and Ponies Association, beach facilities at Friends of Cullen, and a fitness studio at Quest Taekwondo. Another beneficiary of ReColour paint was Darlington based Winston Village Hall, who said: “We have been really pleased with the service we have received from Recipro Wirral. The discount on the paint we needed to refurbish our Village Hall has been really helpful in keeping the costs down but still being able to access high quality paint.”
“The aim of celebrating our birthday is not only to mark this important milestone, but also to raise awareness of the scheme locally so more people can benefit,” said Director Rebecca Close. “Community RePaint Wirral offers a simple, local solution to the problem of waste paint. By reusing leftover paint in our community, we can bring a splash of colour to the lives of those who need it the most and help to protect the planet by preventing perfectly good paint from being disposed of.”
The UK wide Community RePaint network manager, Martin Pearse, reflected “Community RePaint Wirral have done a fantastic job over the last 10 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. If you are a householder, visit CommunityRePaint.org.uk, click ‘I have leftover paint’ and enter your postcode to find your nearest drop-off point.
If you need paint to redecorate your home, or if you are a charity or community group in need of paint for a project, get in touch with Community RePaint Wirral to find out more 0151 639 0651 / rebecca@recipro-uk.com. They are based a Unit 2 Britannia House, Dock Road, Wallasey, Wirral, CH41 1DF.