Categories: Case Studies

Following damage to a charity bookshop window on Southend-on-Sea’s high street, mural artist and illustrator, Freya Neighbour, was asked to bring the window back to life. Freya was commissioned to create a large mural inspired by books and reading to cover the boarding hiding the broken window.

Explaining the design, Freya said:

“The bookshop has a huge selection of titles, and I wanted to reflect the escapism that comes from reading a good book. Especially in these times with the cost-of-living crisis, finding free things to do for fun is becoming more and more necessary. Reading can give you some relief from the every day and transport you somewhere else for a while. It’s a regenerative, healthy activity and can be a vital part of self-care, so nurturing the skill of reading in childhood is important.”

Being environmentally conscious, Freya knew she wanted the paint she used to be as kind to the environment as possible – enter Community RePaint Cambridgeshire.

As part of our national paint reuse network, Community RePaint Cambridgeshire was able to offer Freya usable leftover paint starting from £2 a litre. This included full and part-full tins of leftover paint, perfect for the mural.

Community RePaint Cambridgeshire joined the network in 2011 and is now one of the largest schemes in the network. Run by Cambridgeshire Community Reuse and Recycling Network (CCORN), they collect around 62,000 litres of paint each year. They are also one of our two remanufacturing centres, producing ReColour remanufactured paint.

 

As Freya painted the mural, children walking past with their parents would become interested and wander over, talking to Freya about what she was painting, and so Freya decided to include them in the process.

Freya let us know:

“All the stories and characters featured in the mural are based on suggestions given by locals, both adults and children. I love that anyone walking past who met me as I painted can now see themselves reflected in the painting. I truly believe that art lifts spaces up and creates an impression of love, care, and community wherever it flourishes – thank you very much to the Fishers of Men charity bookshop for this opportunity to brighten up the highstreet!”

When asked about using Community RePaint for the mural, this is what Freya had to say:

“I continue to use Community RePaint for all my mural projects, an incredible scheme sponsored by Dulux, that takes donated leftover paint and offers it at a highly discounted price to the public and community projects. The quality is amazing and I love that I can look after the planet through my murals.”

You can find more of Freya’s work on her Instagram and Facebook page, as well as her website.

Click here to find out about a mural Frey created earlier on in the year to brighten up a care home in Norwich.

Community RePaint has over 65 schemes across the country, providing paint starting from £1 a litre. If you need paint for your home, community project, or a mural like this one, find your nearest scheme here.

Community RePaint is a UK-wide paint reuse network, sponsored by Dulux. Our schemes collect leftover paint and redistribute it to benefit individuals, families, communities, and charities in need of paint, at an affordable cost. Individual full and part-full tins of paint are available for sale, starting from £1 or £2 a litre. Click here to find your nearby scheme.

A fresh coat of paint, whether applied to walls, ceilings or furnishings, has the ability to make a well-lived-in room feel like a brand-new space and it doesn’t have to cost a lot! Pick up some affordable paint from a nearby Community RePaint scheme and why not give decorating a go yourself – an affordable, educational activity that the whole family can take part in!

Never painted before? Don’t worry at all! Click here to view a set of how-to video guides made in collaboration with Community RePaint Bradford to help you get to grips with the basics of painting for your upcoming home improvement adventure.

 

Step-by-step to prep for your refresh

1. Check out Pinterest and magazines to help inspire you with designs and colourways.

2. With your ideas in mind, systematically scan the rooms to revamp, and ask yourself the following questions:

• What walls and ceilings need repainting?
• What hard furnishings are in need of a refresh? (think repaint, not replace)

 

3. Once you’ve decided on which walls, ceilings and furnishings to paint, use our online paint estimator tool to work out the volume of paint you’ll need for your summer renovation.

4. Next up, choose your paint, tools, and supplies!

• Check out our online paint-related guides to help you pick the best-suited paints for your home-DIY project. Click here to view.
• Refer back to our how-to video guides too if you need to remind yourself of the different painting techniques! Click here to view.

 

5. Prepare your surfaces, cover your floors and get to redecorating!

 

Paint-spiration – some simple suggestions to revamp a room

Feature wall / accent wall

                  📷 Stephan Tan                       📷 Community RePaint Bradford                      📷 Kara Eads

 

Choosing one wall or a part of a wall to act as the focal point of a room is a great way to jazz up a space and save money on paint! Whether you plan to paint this wall a different colour than the rest, create a gallery wall or mural (freehand or using stencils) – it’s sure to add some pazazz!

 

Cupboards, cabinets, and shelving

        📷 @paintkitchenworkshop            📷 Community RePaint Bradford         📷 @paintkitchenworkshop

 

A quick lick of paint to your cupboards, cabinets or shelving units can really change the dynamic of a room. Over time painted surfaces fade with sunlight, so whether you choose to repaint with the original colours or refresh with brand new ones, this simple trick will help revamp the room.

 

Chairs and tables

   📷 Community RePaint Wirral         📷 Community RePaint Cornwall                    📷 Hutomo Abrianto

 

Think twice before replacing old tables and chairs – repaint and upcycle to transform into new-looking pieces! You can use ReColour chalk paint to save money while preventing paint from going to waste!

 

The Batley Butterfly House in West Yorkshire received a new coat of paint this month by local artist Safrana Art. The artist picked up leftover paint from their local scheme to complete the project. The mural certainly makes a striking, eye catching view on the butterfly house – one the owners are very happy with.

Safrana Art is no stranger to reusing leftover paint to brighten up spaces in the community. In 2018, she used leftover paint to colour the facilities at the Muslim Youth Foundation, and in 2021 she used leftover paint to transform the outside of a Manchester church.

Community RePaint has over 65 schemes across the country, providing paint starting from £1 a litre. Find your nearest scheme here.

We have looked at 3 common items we all have, and some great ways you can get upcycling.

Plant pots

Nearly everyone has a few unused plant pots, stored in their garage and shed. Before you head out to buy brand new pots, why not use some paint to make your old ones look as good as new!

 

To get the effect in the images above, you can use masking tape to create sharp lines and a sponge instead of a brush to fill out the larger areas. You can collect half tins of useable paint your paint from your local Community RePaint scheme, preventing usable paint from going to waste.

Ladders

Upcycling an old ladder or even creating your own ladder with leftover wood can create a brilliant feature in your garden. It allows you to display a large selection of plants in a small space, perfect for a small garden. Using a bright colour can really draw the eye and compliment the plants you decide to display.

Before you start painting

• Make sure to remove any old paint,
• Sand down your surface, (this will help the paint adhere)
• Test your primer and paint on a section under one of the steps to make sure you like the finish.

Once you are happy, apply the paint you have picked up from just £1 a litre at your local Community RePaint scheme, and follow the grain for the best results. Leave to dry completely and display your favourite plants and herbs.

Storage

Nearly all of us have an old chest of drawers, a side table or an old shelving unit in our garage. Now, these are some of the most upcycled items, but have you ever thought about using them as a planter?

 

Making sure they are lined correctly, they can be the perfect choice for flowers and herbs and can be moved around the garden quite easily. Choosing usable leftover exterior wood stain or paint from your local Community RePaint scheme, makes sure they can withstand the elements.

Community RePaint scheme upcycles

Community RePaint schemes across the country have provided paint for a huge range of upcycling projects. Below are a few examples of some of the upcycle projects created using paint from Community RePaint Wirral, Cambridgeshire, Cornwall and Blackburn.

Upcycling is one of the best ways to stop items from ending up in landfills. Buying your paint from your local Community RePaint scheme also helps towards reducing the 50 million litres of paint wasted in the UK each year.

Find your nearest Community RePaint scheme here.

Or if you have found some leftover paint you no longer need, you can find your local Community RePaint drop off paint here, and get your paint reused in the community.

With the average household in the UK storing away 17 tins of leftover paint, what happens to all when it is eventually thrown away? In this article, we will look at how leftover paint is currently dealt with and what the solutions are.

What currently happens when you dispose of paint?

Due to the ‘liquid to landfill’ ban, many household waste recycling centres do not accept liquid paint. They require it to be dried out, usually by adding soil or sawdust to the paint tin. This prevents it from leaking and causing harm to the surrounding environment.

Unfortunately, due to a lack of information on correct disposal, paint still ends up in general waste and even worst, down the drain. This causes huge issues with waste contamination, drain blockages and leads to chemicals leaking into the environment, harming ecosystems and aquatic life. With more than 50 million litres of paint wasted a year, and most of it sent for incineration – this is a huge problem.

 

 

What solutions are there?

Paint Reuse – This option involves creating drop-off points where manufacturers, businesses and households can take their paint once they have finished with it. This paint can then be collected and redistributed and reused within the community.

Paint remanufacturing – In short, leftover paint is collected, filtered and remanufactured into new paint. Find out more about the remanufacturing process in our recent story here. Reusing and remanufacturing paint allows usable leftover paint to avoid the current waste stream. Below is a diagram of how Community RePaint reuses and remanufactured leftover paint to create a circular economy of paint.

 

Community RePaint schemes across the country accept usable leftover paint from manufacturers and businesses. They also collect from household waste recycling centres, where householders are able to drop off their leftover paint. This paint is then checked, and either redistributed for reuse or can be remanufactured into new branded containers.

To get involved, you can see if you have a local drop-off point here. You can also check if you have a local Community RePaint scheme to buy affordable usable leftover paint here.

If you do not have a drop-off point, let your local authority know you want a drop-off point to recycle leftover paint with this template letter.

Want to join the network? Find out how you can get involved and help stop usable leftover paint from being wasted here.

 

Artist and illustrator Freya Neighbour was asked to create the mural for the care home’s activities room. A piece that would inspire creative thinking and wellness, serving as a backdrop to the resident’s activities. This immediately inspired Freya to create a mural about nature, mental health, growth and recovery. Being environmentally conscious, Freya knew she wanted the paint she used to be as kind to the environment as possible – enter Community RePaint Cambridgeshire.

As part of our national paint reuse network, Community RePaint Cambridgeshire was able to offer Freya usable leftover paint starting from £2 a litre. This included full and part full tins of leftover paint, perfect for the mural.

Community RePaint Cambridgeshire joined the network in 2011 and are now one of the largest schemes in the network. Run by Cambridgeshire Community Reuse and Recycling Network (CCORRN), they collect around 62,000 litres of paint each year. They are also one of our two remanufacturing centres, producing ReColour remanufactured paint.

Here is what Freya had to say about the paint and service:

“I am always looking for new ways to do good for my local community and the planet through my art practice, so using leftover paint was a no-brainer. I’m so appreciative of the service Community RePaint Cambridgeshire provide, it has been a real help as an emerging artist especially being concerned about sustainability.”

Combining floral shapes, large silhouettes and intricate insects the mural gradually came together. She wanted the piece to have intricate details so something new could be found every time you look at it. Watch the piece come together in the gif below:

Freya had this to say about the piece and her process:

“My work is primarily about mindfulness and letting subconscious emotions come through. I believe in using calming colours and abstract marks to create emotive pieces that bring the outside in. Murals can promote creative thinking and wellness, influencing an inner sense of peace and happiness, and I hope that the piece I created for the Activity Room at The Meadows will serve as a backdrop to many inspiring activities; bringing its residents together through creativity, and allowing a space to be reflective and calm.”

You can find more of Freya’s work on her Instagram and Facebook page, as well as her website.

Community RePaint has over 65 schemes across the country, providing paint starting from £1 a litre. Find your nearest scheme here.