NEW LIFE for old paint

Here’s how to ensure paint left over from DIY projects gets put to good use

Almost three-quarters of us in the UK have pots of leftover paint, according to the Royal Society of Chemistry (RSC). It estimates that this is more than 50m litres. It’s understandable you’ll want to keep some paint for touch-ups. But three in 10 of us say we’re holding on to it because it seems a waste to throw it away and two-thirds (67%) don’t know if we can take it to a waste recycling centre. Paint can be reused and recycled, but only where it can be collected, distributed or remanufactured, and this varies across the UK. Currently, only 2% of leftover decorative paint is recycled or reused*. The rest – a massive 98% – is either sent to landfill or incinerated.

This comes at an environmental cost because half the ingredients are often derived from oil. ‘If we recycled and reused paint it would cut our reliance on oil and reduce the carbon footprint of paint,’ says RSC president Professor Tom Welton. Here’s what you can do:

DONATE paint to the Community Repaint network. Search for a drop-off point at: communityrepaint.org.uk/i-haveleftover-paint. Check if your local waste recycling centre collects paint for reuse at: recyclenow.com/recycle-an-item.

BUY paint to reuse from a Community Repaint Network scheme near you (up to £2 for 1L, communityrepaint.org.uk/ need-paint/find-your-nearest-scheme). Any money made is used to fund the project. For larger painting jobs, buy remanufactured paint from a Community Repaint Network Recolour scheme (from £1 for 1L; minimum order 60L. If you’re near Leeds, Seagulls (seagullsreuse.org.uk) offers a colour mixing service using leftover paint (from £11 for 2.5L). Little Greene’s ‘upcycled’ Re:mix range has 20 colours made using paint left over from its own production process (littlegreene.com/ remix, £28 for 2.5L).