‘Colourful’ new paint recycling scheme launched

COUNCIL has launched a targeted new recycling scheme that will help reduce paint waste.

Derry City and Strabane District Council joined the Community RePaint network and are calling for householders to help reduce paint waste by dropping reusable paint to the Strahans Road recycling centre.

Leftover paint can be passed on to another household or community group, who could use it to add some colour to their own DIY projects, free of charge.

Conor Canning, head of Environment at council, encouraged homeowners to get involved with the new scheme and check if they have any leftover paint in their sheds or garages.

“The Community RePaint network sees leftover paint as a valuable resource and works to prevent it from going to waste by redistributing it for reuse, through their UK-wide paint reuse network,” he said.

“This scheme benefits individuals, families, communities, and charities in need. It can enable low-income households to redecorate their homes at an affordable cost as well as helping local groups, schools and charities refresh shared spaces and create colourful murals for the community.

“In 2022 alone, over 458,000 litres of leftover paint were collected across the UK by the Community RePaint networks. Over 285,000 litres of this were redistributed and saved approximately 1.2 million kilograms of carbon emissions. This is a fantastic scheme which aligns with our Zero Waste Circular Economy Strategy, and we look forward to adding to these growing statistics, but we need our local communities to get involved and donate their leftover paint.”