Free paint available for residents at re3 Recycling Centres
Over 100,000 litres of paint a year, enough to cover almost 180 football pitches, is disposed of by re3 residents. It is estimated that 65% of discarded paint is still in usable condition. To prevent this waste, re3 has launched re3paint – a Community Paint Reuse initiative that encourages residents to use up their leftover paint and offers free tins of full or partly used paint to residents and communities.
The re3paint initiative allows residents of Bracknell Forest, Reading and Wokingham Boroughs to take available water-based tins of paint that were deposited at the Recycling Centres and use it for their own projects or to help their local charity and community groups. By doing so, they can save money on purchasing paint and at the same time help to reduce unnecessary paint waste and its impact on the environment. To ensure health and safety during the COVID-19 pandemic, all tins of paint that are deemed for reuse will be sanitised before being made available to residents.
Cllr Mrs Dorothy Hayes MBE, Bracknell Forest Council’s Executive Member for Environment and Chairman of the Joint Waste Disposal Board, Cllr Adele Barnett-Ward, Reading Borough Council’s Lead Councillor for Neighbourhoods & Communities and Cllr Parry Batth, Wokingham Borough Council’s Executive Member for Environment and Leisure, commented:
“Redistributing tins of paint to individuals, families, communities and charities is a win-win for everyone. The re3paint initiative prevents paint from going to waste and can help individuals redecorate their homes or communities brighten up their shared spaces without spending money on paint. This could be particularly needed in response to the difficulties caused by the coronavirus crisis. We are hoping that initiative will become popular, with tins of paint quickly disappearing from the Recycling Centres’ paint shelf. We are also looking forward to hearing about any projects that may benefit from the reclaimed paint so we can share their work with a wider community.”
Residents, charities, schools and other groups operating locally, who are interested in using reclaimed water-based paint, can collect free tins of paint from both Recycling Centres: Longshot Lane, Bracknell and Island Road, Reading during the sites opening hours and following the standard booking process that is in place. Residents are able to collect paint tins that are on display (members of staff are unable to provide specific tins of reuse paint on request) on first come first served basis.
Tips on paint waste reduction and disposal
- Always buy the right amount of paint
One easy way you can help reduce the amount of leftover paint, is to prevent over-purchase by buying the right amount. Use online paint calculators to minimise wastage.
- Dispose of responsibly
Never tip paint down the sink or your drains as one litre of improperly disposed of paint can pollute up to 250,000 litres of water. If you have any left-over paint that you no longer need, don’t put it out with your normal rubbish, instead bring it to the Recycling Centres so it can be redistributed to the members of public.
More information on the re3paint scheme is available on the re3 website.