Nottinghamshire community paint recycling scheme 'RePaint' celebrates ten years of service
The council has celebrated ten years of their Community RePaint scheme, and it seems fitting that similar to a wedding anniversary the tenth year is tin.
Nottinghamshire County Council and Veolia, its waste and recycling partner, first joined the Community RePaint Network in June 2011 and operate a paint reuse scheme at four recycling centres.
Residents can drop off their leftover paint at council recycling centres where staff will prevent good quality, reusable paint from going to disposal.
In an effort to help brighten homes and community spaces, paint is then re-distributed to individuals, charities and community groups free of charge.
Councillor Neil Clarke MBE, cabinet member for transport and environment at Nottinghamshire County Council said: “It’s amazing that something as simple as reusing paint, which would otherwise go to waste, has such a huge impact on emissions.
"What’s even better is that so many organisations and individuals in Nottinghamshire have directly benefited from the scheme - from brightening up a child’s bedroom to painting an entire church.”
In a statement released by Veolia the environmental benefits are made clear as since it started, the scheme has prevented over "69,000 litres of paint from going to waste - enough to repaint the Trent Bridge seven times."
"This has coloured the lives of over 110,000 people in the region and equates to a saving of 186,300kg CO2e - the same as a petrol car driving around the Earth 27 times."
The Nottinghamshire scheme is just one part of the UK wide Community RePaint project network, attempting to solve the issue of the estimated 50 million litres of paint that go to waste in the UK each year.
Some of those to have benefited from the scheme include, Nina Middleton, an assistant social worker from Mansfield: “I collect paint to give to the families that I work with. Very often they struggle with finances and paint is often out of reach to their budget. Providing paint from this free service is absolutely vital in improving standards for our vulnerable children.”
Paul Birks from Southwell Methodist Church also expressed his gratitude: “This scheme has been instrumental in improving the condition of our Church. I have been able to update the old facade, which dates back to 1839, and also refresh much of the interiors.”
School Governor at Bleasby Primary School, Angela Dunning, explained: “The paint from the scheme came in very handy when we organised a DIY weekend to refresh a few tired areas in our school grounds.
"We have lots of pupils who are enthusiastic about environmental issues and sustainability so it’s great to put these ideas into practice.”
Households looking to offload their leftover paint can do so by dropping it off at one of the recycling centres in Warsop, Calverton, Newark and Beeston. Residents must however be registered to use the sites, which can be done on the Nottinghamshire County Council website.
Those wanting to redecorate their homes, or charities and community groups in need of paint for a project can visit any of the four named recycling centres after booking a slot online via: ww.veolia.co.uk/nottinghamshire/Paint .
Lea Hawkes, General Manager for Veolia Nottinghamshire said: “We’re delighted to provide such a valuable service for the people of Nottinghamshire. The fact that we’ve been in operation for over ten years is testament to its success. The booking process is straightforward and collecting paint from any of our four participating sites is easy.”
Surplus paint from traders is not currently accepted at any of the Community RePaint schemes or any of the county’s recycling centres.
