Thirty years on and millions of gallons of paint saved from landfill.
Dulux is proud to celebrate a significant milestone in its 30-year partnership with Community RePaint. Since the initiative’s conception in 1993, Community RePaint has successfully redistributed over 5.4 million litres of paint, with its Wirral scheme having redistributed one million litres of paint alone – giving new life to paint that would otherwise be destined for landfill or incineration.
Community RePaint recovers leftover paint from over 300 collection points and redistributes it to individuals and groups in the wider community. This is achieved across more than 80 schemes all over the country who are all on a mission to reduce waste and brighten lives. Last year, nearly 370,000 litres were repurposed through the network. As a result, the equivalent of over 14.5 million kilos of CO2 has been saved by reusing paint – equivalent to taking over 70,000 flights from Heathrow to Madrid. So far this year, over 200,600 litres of paint have been reused, helping 1,153 organisations and 20,000 individuals add colour to their lives.
Lilian Graves, Community RePaint Network Officer, commented: “We know that over 50 million litres of paint go to waste each year in the UK. It’s a shocking statistic, and at Community RePaint, we’re determined to provide a solution. It’s essential to reduce the amount of paint being incinerated or sent to landfill in order to protect the planet. This also benefits those who reuse leftover paint in their homes and communities who can access paint affordably and sustainably. “
Heart4Refugees is just one of many initiatives the Community RePaint network has benefited throughout its 30 years of operation. The charity is on a mission to break down the barriers faced by refugees and people seeking asylum to rebuild lives and improve mental health through support and empowerment.
Community RePaint Wirral worked with the local charity, providing them with paint to create a colourful mural as part of an art therapy service they provide to refugees. The reveal of the mural coincided with Community RePaint Wirral, run by Recipro, reaching the milestone of redistributing one million litres of paint. This has been achieved through redistributing or remanufacturing leftover paint into a nearly new paint product, ReColour, providing a sustainable solution to leftover paint in the industry.
Vicky Evans, Executive Director at Heart4Refugees, explains the positive impact art therapy provides: “Art can do so much to reduce stress and emotional pain – something the refugees we support here know all too well. It can offer stimulation, an outlet, and a reminder of the colourful goodness in the world!”
Rebecca Orton, Partnerships Marketing Manager at Dulux, shares: “We are so proud of our continuing support of the Community RePaint network and schemes up and down the UK, and this Hearts4Refugees mural is a brilliant example of redistributed paint being put to incredible use. The uplift this has brought to not just the space, but those involved in making it, cannot be understated – its projects like these I am most proud to support, showing the power of positivity that colour and paint can provide.”
To donate leftover paint from projects, find your nearest Community RePaint scheme here: https://communityrepaint.org.uk/need-paint/find-your-nearest-scheme/
Picture shows: Lilian Graves, Community RePaint Network Officer and Beckie Owens from Community RePaint Wirral.