AkzoNobel UK, in partnership with Community RePaint, has launched an innovative not-for-profit paint remanufacturing facility in North West England.
The site is AkzoNobel UK’s second such facility since the innovative scheme with long-term partner, Community RePaint was launched last year.
The centre uses technology developed by AkzoNobel and its partners which aims to slash the amount of paint going to landfill.
Building on the company’s 23-year partnership with Community RePaint, the scheme provides low cost, quality recycled paint to community groups and those in social need.
The launch comes a year after AkzoNobel launched the first remanufacturing centre, which has since produced around 10,000 litres of recycled paint, distributed to more than 1,300 worthy causes and individuals.
The launch also comes on the first anniversary of AkzoNobel’s ReColour report, which called on government and industry to get behind the initiative and unite to solve the UK’s waste paint problem.
With around 55 million litres of waste paint going to landfill each year, AkzoNobel’s ambition is to increase the amount of waste paint collected for reuse in the UK ten-fold – to three million litres – by 2020.
The remanufacturing technology is the result of years of partnership between AkzoNobel, Newlife Paints and Community RePaint, who are looking to roll out more remanufacturing centres across the country. The aim is 100,000 litres of remanufactured paint being produced by centres by the end of 2017.
UK managing director of AkzoNobel UK & Ireland, Matt Pullen explained: “This innovative scheme is leading our industry in reducing the amount of paint currently entering the waste stream, as well as having a transformative impact, alongside Community RePaint, by colouring the lives of those who can least afford it.”
Community RePaint network manager, Martin Pearse commented: “This fantastic new facility will help us to create more social value from previously wasted paint.
“This coincides with Sustainable Living Month, which will be celebrated with events at Community RePaint schemes across the UK.”
ReColour: Recycling Waste Paint to Recolour Our Communities
The key recommendations from the report include:
- All paint manufacturers should support the PaintCare initiative from the British Coatings Federation.
- Paint manufacturers should work together to agree standard, comprehensive guidance for consumers on waste disposal and recycling.
- Central government must encourage all local authorities to accept and segregate waste paint at HWRCs, and engage with a process that enables its recycling and reuse.
- Regulations concerning the handling and transportation of waste should be reviewed by the UK government to assist in the recycling of materials and appropriate derogations should be made more easily available for companies trying to operate waste recovery and/or closed loop systems.
- The UK government should take a lead role in amending the provisions under REACH to enable closed loop systems and facilitate the sale of remanufactured materials such as paint.
- Sales of remanufactured, reused or recycled products (such as paint) by social enterprise or community-based groups should be exempt from VAT and business rates.
You can download a copy of the report, here.
