Ever wonder if household paint could be recycled? With over 73% of UK adults admitting to stashing away unused decorating paint, it is clear we have a paint waste problem.
An estimated 50 million litres of household paint is wasted in the UK each year, that’s enough to fill 22 Olympic size swimming pools. With most of that paint sent for incineration, it’s a huge problem. With more individuals and businesses aware of their environmental impact, what solutions are out there to prevent the disposal of paint?
There are currently 2 options, paint reuse and remanufacturing. Getting your paint reused can be as simple as offering your leftover paint to friends and of course, dropping it off at a Community RePaint drop off point. But what is remanufactured paint?
After realising the colossal amount of paint wasted in the UK, Newlife Paint decided to come up with a solution. It took 2 years of research and a lot of prototyping to successfully develop a process to convert leftover paint into a premium quality product.
How does it work?
Step 1: Leftover paint is collected from household waste recycling centres and businesses.
Step 2: This paint is then thoroughly checked, to make sure it can be remanufactured. This includes checking it has not gone off and hasn’t been contaminated.
Step 3: Next, the paint is filtered in large barrels, removing any dried paint and other small contaminants.
Step 4: Chemicals are added to the paint which will kill any bacteria within the paint and ensures its longevity amongst other things.
Step 5: The paint is then filtered again to produce its final container and sealed in its new containers, as a brand new paint!
Who produces it?
Under licence from Newlife Paints, the Community RePaint Network has two remanufacturing centres. They are hosted by Community RePaint Cambridgeshire, and Community RePaint Wirral. The remanufacturing centres use this process to create our remanufactured paint, ‘ReColour’. In 2021 they produced nearly 100,000 litres of ReColour, using 100% leftover paint.
ReColour has been the go-to option for hundreds of charities, schools, community organisations and religious groups. It has been used for decorating projects in primary schools, village halls, community projects, bringing local facilities back to life and brighten the lives of so many others.
Why does it matter?
With over 50 million litres of paint being wasted a year, there is a huge need for a solution. Remanufacturing paint can divert paint away from the waste streams and create an affordable option.
By making it easy for individuals and businesses to get their paint reused and remanufactured, we start to solve the problem. Creating a circular economy of paint, eventually leading to a huge reduction in paint waste.
If you want to get your leftover paint reused or remanufactured, find your nearest Community RePaint drop off point here.
If you don’t have a drop-off point in your area, let your local authority know you want one here.
If you are in need of a large quantity of paint, find out more about our remanufactured paint ReColour here.