Have you ever finished doing some DIY and found yourself with half a pot of paint leftover? If so, did you know that, rather than festering in the back of a cupboard or in your garage, this paint could be put to good use?

EcoAction, run by the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames, is part of a UK-wide network of community re>paint schemes. The network, set up in 1992, is unique in Britain and in Europe. It is one of the most innovative and practical waste minimisation and reuse initiatives in the UK and represents a pioneering solution to the problem of leftover paint.

The Re>paint Scheme collects re-usable paint from Richmond’s Townmead Road Recycling and Reuse Centre where the community can leave their unwanted paint. This paint is then re-distributed to individuals in receipt of benefits, or to community and sporting groups and clubs. By recycling unwanted paint, the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames is not only diverting this waste from landfill, it is providing a valuable service to others within the community, as well as helping to make Richmond a better place to live. As well as donating paint to council housing, sporting clubs, and charities, EcoAction’s Community Re>Paint scheme provides a large amount of the paint used by the Graffiti team to help keep Richmond’s streets graffiti free.

As well as the Community Re>Paint scheme, EcoAction also works closely with the local community, raising awareness and providing education on issues such as waste reduction, reuse and recycling.

Case study issued in November 2005