Waste is a resource, not a nuisance': the team who will collect and use up your leftover paint

"Community RePaint is a UK-wide paint reuse network that collects leftover paint from drop-off points and redistributes it to individuals and groups in the community. They started in 1992 as a research project in Leeds called the Waste Wagon, led by a consortium of waste and recycling organisations and set up in response to concern from the local authority about the high cost of paint disposal and issues around household hazardous waste."

"The goal was to find out how many homes had paint to dispose of, and how much. Researchers went out to knock on doors, and according to David Squire, Community RePaint's community network coordinator, they found that on average, 17 tins of paint were sitting there unused. So they decided they would collect it. A year later, the pilot project for Community RePaint was set up, and three decades later, 100 people staff the UK-wide network."

"Growth is gentle, but now businesses have started to reuse paint in the community, says Squire. The organisation is bringing recycling centres on board, a critical node in the paint-gathering network. One by one, barriers are being broken down. For example, many local councils do not accept liquid paint for recycling because it is considered hazardous. Although this is done, in principle, to protect the environment, it actually increases the likelihood of people leaving their leftover paint to waste."

Community RePaint operates a UK-wide paint reuse network that collects leftover paint from drop-off points and redistributes it to individuals and groups. The initiative began in 1992 as the Waste Wagon research project in Leeds to address high paint disposal costs and household hazardous waste. Door-to-door research found an average of 17 unused tins per home, prompting collection and a subsequent pilot. Three decades later, about 100 staff support the network. Recycling centres and businesses are joining the network, while many councils currently reject liquid paint as hazardous, a policy that increases leftover paint waste. Reuse saves councils money because disposal is costlier.

Read at www.theguardian.com