Where Can I Recycle......Paint?

Many of us find we have half a pot of paint sitting in our shed or garage that we no longer need; maybe we over-purchased, have now redecorated the room that we used it in or can’t even remember why we bought it!

If you want to donate your paint to a good cause, Community RePaint collects reusable domestic paint in reasonable condition for redistribution to community and voluntary groups, charities and individuals in social need. Visit their website to find the nearest collection point to you. They can accept most types of domestic paint such as gloss, emulsion, eggshell, exterior and tile paint as well as varnishes.

Paint Disposal
Paint, especially older paints, can contain lots of nasty chemicals. Never pour any type of paint away down a drain. Many local council recycling centres will accept small quantities of paint for disposal.  Don’t forget that clean empty paint containers can be recycled too – those metal gloss tins can be included with metal recycling, although many other uses are possible, including using them as contemporary planters.

Prevention Is Better Than Cure
Better still; ensure that you are not left with a lot of leftover paint by carefully calculating the amount of paint which you require before you buy it.  Measure each of your walls and multiply the length and height of each wall together to find the area.  Now add all of those areas together. (Hey! there was a purpose to all those maths lessons at school….).  If maths truly brings you out in a cold sweat, there is a handy calculator at http://www.tiscali.co.uk/property/calculators/paint.html. The paint tin will usually give you an approximate coverage area as a guide.

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