Redistributing painting

In 1992 SWAP (now Resource Futures) conducted research into household hazardous waste through the Waste Wagon project. This identified that residents in Leeds had a large volume of surplus, reusable paint stored in sheds, garages and cupboards, etc., and that there was a ready demand for this material from local charities, voluntary and community groups. As a result of this research the first local Community RePaint scheme was established and subsequently a national network of local schemes emerged.

These schemes collect and sort surplus, reusable paint donated by retailers, manufacturers, trades people and/ or householders before redistributing it to local charities, community groups and individuals and families in need and in turn, improving the wellbeing of people and the appearance of places across the UK. The paint is stored at the local schemes' premises and then redistributed to local charities, community and voluntary groups and individuals in social need. Paint is usually offered for a small financial donation to help cover the scheme’s costs. Some schemes operate annual subscription programmes, offering membership to organisations which are likely to want paint on an ongoing basis e.g. housing associations, charities, etc. These groups pay an annual fee and are then able to take paint for a discounted price.

Today the network, which is sponsored by Dulux, comprises over sixty local schemes and is coordinated by Resource Futures, an employee owned, non-profit distributing environmental consultancy. Each Community RePaint scheme is autonomous and individual. Each operates to a basic operational model but with individual variations according to the type and ethos of the host organisation. Community RePaint schemes are run by a range of organisations including furniture reuse organisations, scrapstores, community recyclers and local authorities. This ultimately affects the size of the individual scheme and how it is operated.

 
FOR MORE INFORMATION:  repaint@resourcefutures.co.uk (Clair Lloyd) or  martin.pearse@resourcefutures.co.uk (Martin Pearse);  http://www.communityrepaint.org.uk/index.php

General data

Waste prevention activity data