Categories: News

With numerous lockdowns, the COVID-19 pandemic forced many of our schemes to close throughout 2020, meaning less paint could be collected and redistributed than normal.

Despite the pandemic, the Community RePaint network was still able to accept and distribute a significant amount of reusable paint within the community. Schemes adapted to the new ways of working, such as operating click and collect, offering appointments to customers, and also delivering paint. Their hard work and resilience meant that they continued to brighten the spaces and lives of people in their communities.

297,541 litres of leftover, reusable paint was collected by schemes in 2020 (a 38% reduction from 2019).

250,749 litres of leftover, reusable paint was redistributed by schemes in 2020 (a 31% reduction from 2019).

71,665 litres of ReColour remanufactured paint sold in 2020 (a 16% reduction from 2019).

Paint in Numbers 2020

Throughout 2020, our schemes have brightened 174,436 lives through individual and group sales (a 48% reduction from 2019).

231 staff and volunteers worked at our schemes throughout the year, which we would like to show our biggest thanks and gratitude towards, especially working through the toughest challenges that the pandemic brought.

Our schemes also saved 803,360kg of carbon emissions by reusing leftover paint, helping us build a greener future for our planet and communities.

Despite the challenges of 2020, the Community RePaint network welcomed four new schemes to include Bristol North, Darlington, Northampton and Lowestoft, a fantastic feat during so much uncertainty. We look forward to welcoming more schemes in 2021 and are currently in conversations with prospective organisations. The continued success of the network would not be possible without the dedication, hard work and resilience of our schemes.

If you would like to purchase affordable paint you can find your nearest scheme here. Have a big project? If you need more than 60 litres you can order our remanufactured paint ReColour here. If you have paint that you would like to donate, find your nearest drop off point here.

Between 19-25 October, we invited social media users on Facebook. Instagram and Twitter, to join in our #MyTimeToPaint competition. We asked users to share a recent paint project for a chance to win a £25 paint voucher to spend at one of our 65+ schemes.

There were some fantastic upcycling and redecoration photos shared and we had three lucky winners of the £25 paint voucher who were chosen at random. Here are some of the fantastic entries we received that may inspire your own paint projects over the winter.

Look out for future competitions on the network in 2021.

In June, Niantic kicked off the Local Business Recovery Initiative, where they asked all Pokémon GO players to nominate one small and local business to receive complimentary in-game promotion for one year. The initiative has pledged to support 1,000 small and local businesses across the UK, which includes Community RePaint Bradford.

How does it work? In a nutshell, physical locations of local storefronts appear as ‘Pokéstops’ on the Pokémon GO game map, which provides small businesses increase awareness of their location and services, display geo-targeted messaging and offers to nearby players, and create a fun and engaging experience for visiting players. Businesses get more foot-traffic, and players get more in-game opportunities.

The Pokémon GO players of Bradford casted their vote and nominated Community RePaint Bradford to become one of the new ‘Pokéstops’ in the city as part of this initiative. The scheme was nominated by at least one player and was handpicked from tens of thousands of nominations.

Pokémon GO has over 1 billion active players worldwide, which makes this an exciting and prosperous opportunity for Community RePaint Bradford to be part of.

Community RePaint Bradford is one of the largest schemes in the Community RePaint Network. They collect paint from manufacturers, retailers and traders in the area, as well as from the district’s recycling centres where residents can drop off leftover paint.  The paint is then checked to ensure it is suitable for reuse rather than disposed of. Since signing up to the Community RePaint Network in 2001, Community RePaint Bradford has collected over 45,000 litres of paint each year.

Due to the large amount of paint the scheme collects, they always have a large variety of paint types and colours. If you need paint for your home or for a community project, you can make an appointment to choose some paint. Community RePaint Bradford sell paint for £1.50 per litre. You can find all of the details for the scheme here.

Community RePaint is not only dedicated to creating communities where everyone has the opportunity to brighten their spaces and their lives, but also to drive transformative change for the planet.

In the UK, 50 million litres of the 320 million litres of paint sold in the UK each year go to waste. This paint is either thrown away or stored in homes or garages despite over 50% of it still being usable.

In 2019, over 481,351 litres of reuseable paint were collected by our schemes, and over 365,988 litres of paint were redistributed to individuals and groups. The network is working harder every year to increase the number of litres of paint saved from going to waste.

What can you do?

• You can donate your leftover paint to the drop-off points across our network.
• You can also purchase affordable, reusable paint from one of our 65 schemes.
• You can start your own home project, like upcycling furniture. Click here for some inspiration.
• Buy the correct amount of paint for your project. Use our paint calculator to make a better estimation for your project.
• Share your stories to spread the word!

Earth Day Network’s mission is to diversify, educate and activate the environmental movement worldwide. Growing out of the first Earth Day in 1970, Earth Day Network is the world’s largest recruiter to the environmental movement, working with more than 75,000 partners in over 190 countries to drive positive action for our planet. #EarthDay2020

Update (12/04/2021):

Following government guidelines, the majority of Community RePaint schemes in England are now open, following COVID-19 social distancing guidelines.

News on schemes in Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales will follow shortly – please follow the government guidelines when this is announced.

Update (05/01/2021):

Following government guidelines, the majority of the Community RePaint schemes are now temporarily closed from today.

Some schemes remain open, with many other schemes operating click & collect and delivery for paint. Please contact your nearest scheme directly to check opening times or click & collect/delivery options.

If you have paint to donate, please contact your nearest drop-off point directly to check opening times before visiting. Please follow government guidelines and do not make any unnecessary journeys.

Update (05/11/2020):

With 65+ schemes across the UK, here is the latest update on operations at Community RePaint schemes:

ENGLAND: Following government guidelines, a number of schemes are now temporarily closed until 2 December 2020. Some schemes remain open or are offering a click & collect service. Please contact your nearest scheme directly to check current operations. Find your nearest scheme here: https://bit.ly/35RjhMd

WALES: All schemes in Wales are temporarily closed until 9 November 2020.

SCOTLAND: All schemes in Scotland remain open. Please contact your nearest scheme directly to check opening times and for available paint. Find your nearest scheme here: https://bit.ly/35RjhMd

NORTHERN IRELAND: Community RePaint Belfast remains open – you must call in advance of visiting the scheme. Details can be found on our website here: https://bit.ly/2I7Ca5x

We hope that everyone stays safe and our schemes look forward to seeing you all very soon when business is back to normal.

In the meantime, remember to keep sharing pics of all your paint projects whilst in lockdown – we would love to see what you’re up to! Tag us on social media or send your photos to repaint@resourcefutures.co.uk

Update (30/09/2020):

We’re pleased report that the majority of Community RePaint schemes remain OPEN, following COVID-19 social distancing guidelines.

New government local lock-down measures mean that some schemes will be opearting stricter restrictions and social distancing guidelines. Our schemes are working hard to ensure that their shops are a safe place for customers. Please telephone or email a scheme directly if you would like to purchase some affordable paint. You can find your nearest scheme to purchase paint here.

When visiting your local Community RePaint scheme, according to government guidelines, you must wear a face covering. This is to ensure staff and other customers are kept safe. For more guidance, including exemptions, please check the government website: gov.uk/coronavirus.

We hope that everyone stays safe and our schemes look forward to seeing you.

Update (24/07/2020):

When visiting your local Community RePaint scheme, according to government guidelines, you should be wearing a face covering. This is to ensure staff and other customers are kept safe. For more guidance, including exemptions, please check the government website: gov.uk/coronavirus.

Update (01/07/2020):

We are pleased to report that the majority of Community RePaint schemes, are now OPEN, following COVID-19 social distancing guidelines.

Some schemes are only open on a restricted basis, operating an appointment system or ‘reserve and collect’, so please telephone or email a scheme directly if you would like to purchase some affordable paint. You can find your nearest scheme to purchase paint here.

To drop-off leftover paint, find your nearest drop-off point here.

We hope that everyone stays safe and our schemes look forward to seeing you.

Update (24/04/2020):

Following government guidelines, the majority of the Community RePaint schemes and drop-off points remain closed. A very small number of schemes are offering a paint delivery service only, so please telephone or email the scheme directly to see if they are doing this. We hope that everyone stays safe and our schemes look forward to seeing you all very soon when business is back to normal. Please follow strict government guidelines and only complete essential tasks.

Update (24/03/2020):

Following government guidelines, the majority of the Community RePaint schemes and drop-off points are now closed from today. However, if you want to contact them, please phone or email in the first instance. When we have more news, we will update our website. Please follow strict government guidelines and only complete essential tasks.

Due to the recent COVID-19 outbreak, Community RePaint schemes are forced to make prompt responses to protecting employees, volunteers and members of the public. There will be many changes over the next few weeks to scheme operations, so please do bear with and respect scheme’s decisions.

We hope that everyone stays safe and our schemes look forward to seeing you all very soon when business is back to normal.

In the meantime, remember to keep sharing pics of all your paint projects whilst you’re self-isolating – we would love to see what you’re up to! Tag us on social media or send your photos to repaint@resourcefutures.co.uk

We will continue to post inspiring content to keep yourself busy.

Stay safe everyone 💚🎨

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A new paint drop off point has opened for North London Waste authority residents. The North London Waste Authority can be accessed by those living in Barnet, Camden, Islington, Hackney, Haringey, Waltham Forest and Enfield. They can then …

🎨 Pick up paint free for home or community projects
🎨 Drop off leftover paint so it can be used

Get in touch with Wise Up To Waste or see where your nearest scheme is by visiting our scheme finder.