Recycle Paint and Decorate the Eco-Friendly Way
Taking on a decorating project is a great way to breathe a new lease of life into rooms, furniture and even outdoor spaces. But what do you do with the paint you have left over? If you resort to throwing it away or storing it in a garage or shed never to be seen again, you’re not alone.
It’s estimated that over 50 million litres of leftover paint goes to waste each year. However, there are many ways to make your next project a more sustainable one.
In this blog, we’ll give you hints and tips on how to give your home a stunning new look, while also using old paint to help local communities and the planet.
Ways to recycle your old paint
A simple way to make sure your leftover paint doesn’t go to waste is to ask friends and family whether they’re considering any similar projects soon. If you have a large amount left over, you might even want to create a listing on a site like Freecycle or Freegle to find a new home for your leftover paint.
Use your leftover paint for an upcycling project
Have an upcycling project you’ve been putting off? Using up your leftover paint is a fantastic excuse to roll up your sleeves and spruce up a tired piece of furniture.
How to recycle empty paint cans
Currently, plastic paint cans can’t be widely recycled, but you can recycle empty metal paint cans. All you need to do is drop them off at your nearest household recycling centre and they’ll do the rest.
However, if you’re feeling crafty you may want to transform your empty paint cans into anything from planters and bird feeders to pencil holders and piggy banks.
Where can you donate your leftover paint?
One option to give leftover paint a new life is to donate it. Organisations like the Community RePaint network collect leftover paint and redistribute it throughout local communities across the UK.
For over 30 years, paint that has been donated has gone on to brighten up playgrounds, community centres, schools and more. It’s the ideal way to help end paint waste and support your local community.
How to safely dispose of leftover paint, should you need to
Sometimes even with good intentions, you may need to dispose of your leftover paint after all. However, this should always be a last resort once you’ve exhausted your other options.
Liquid paint can’t be accepted by the council as it is banned from landfill. Therefore you’ll need to wait for your paint to harden. Once your paint has hardened you’ll be able to take it to your local recycling centre as non-household waste.
For larger amounts of paint, you can speed up the hardening process by adding:
- Sawdust
- Cat litter
- Soil
- Sand
The process is a bit simpler for smaller amounts. You can pour your paint onto a card or piece of paper and leave it to dry. Once dry, you can add it to your household waste (if your local council accepts it).
Which types of paint are more eco-friendly?
A great way to make your decorating more sustainable is to buy recycled or low VOC paint. Brands such as Little Greene offer recycled paint that is made from damaged and unwanted stock that has been reformulated to create their Re:mix range. By recycling unwanted paint, they’re able to repurpose approximately 60,000 litres of waste paint each year.
What is low VOC paint?
Low VOC paint contains significantly reduced levels of volatile organic compounds (VOCs). Studies show that exposure to VOCs can potentially pose health risks including worsening symptoms of certain respiratory problems.
However, many brands such as Lick have taken steps to produce low VOC paints which minimise any risks to health and limit your exposure to VOCs as much as possible. The result? Paint that is kinder to you and the environment without compromising your next colourful project.
Find inspiration for your next eco-friendly project with Beyond the Grid
There are plenty of ways to unleash your creative side sustainably and you can find lots of inspired ideas on our Beyond the Grid hub. Discover how to spruce up your home, garden and more all from one handy resource.
