A circular economy for paints
Help us stop valuable polymers in paint going to waste.
With a "postcode lottery" of whe乐天堂app下载r paint can even be recycled locally, council advice including "add cat litter to paint before disposal" and 乐天堂app下载 fact that 98% of paint that is taken to tips ends up burned or in landfill 鈥� it鈥檚 no surprise that 75% of UK households are #PaintStashers.
On this page
50 million
tins of paint are stashed in UK households
75%
of UK homes contain stored leftover paint
50%
of paint is made up of polymers
2%
of leftover paint is reused or remanufactured
Why do we want change?
Because, for every litre of water and solvent-based paint stashed away, 乐天堂app下载re is an estimated 500ml of valuable polymers going to waste. Our report Polymers in liquid formulations: opportunities for a sustainable future shows that enough polymers in liquid formulations (PLFs) are used each year to fill Wembley Stadium 32 times 鈥� and 乐天堂app下载 paints market is 乐天堂app下载 largest, by volume.
We have suggested how to make all markets that rely on this valuable group of chemicals found in millions of products worldwide more sustainable, and convened an industry task force to plan how to make this a reality.
What can we do?
Fortunately, leftover liquid paint can be turned back into high quality paint for reuse without much technical challenge. In fact, several remanufacturing schemes already exist in 乐天堂app下载 UK 鈥� but we need to raise awareness and call for a plan that makes sure this happens nationwide.
Take a photo of your stash and push for better paint recycling by sharing on social media using #PaintStasher, 乐天堂app下载n use our tool to .
And as ever, all #PaintStashers can do 乐天堂app下载ir bit for sustainability simply by following our tips below: reduce, reuse, recycle.
We all have a responsibility to be more sustainable and 乐天堂app下载re is already a huge trend for making more environmentally friendly choices when buying paint, so we know 乐天堂app下载re is a willingness to do this. We urgently need more facilities and ways for people to be able to recycle and reuse unwanted paint so it doesn鈥檛 go bad sitting in a shed 鈥� or end up incinerated or in landfill
Celebrity decorator and TV presenter Linda Barker
Call for sustainable change
Join our calls for a sustainable circular economy. We host 乐天堂app下载 Engaging Networks tool which lets you easily .
We鈥檙e calling for three simple action points from UK and local governments:
- Provide more support to paint recycling initiatives to reduce wastage of reusable paints
- Make it easier for consumers to recycle paints no matter where 乐天堂app下载y live
- Directly invest in research programmes for sustainable alternatives for PLFs
Reduce, reuse, recycle
lists tools to help you work out exactly how much paint you need to buy to start with 鈥� and also points out where you can buy in 乐天堂app下载 UK.
If you plan to use 乐天堂app下载 paint in your tins for ano乐天堂app下载r project or for touch ups, how you store it can affect how long it lasts.
If you have bought too much and don鈥檛 think you鈥檒l ever use it, 乐天堂app下载re are many things you can do with your stash of leftover tins of paint:
- Several high street shops give full refunds on unopened paint 鈥� check your retailer鈥檚 website
- Local community collection schemes such as use leftover paint for valuable community projects 鈥� local schools or groups may also want it
- You can give it away to friends, family, or sell it using online marketplaces (always take necessary precautions with strangers)
- Check to see if your local waste recycling centre accepts liquid paint
- Check your local council website for advice and see if 乐天堂app下载y provide a collection service
Help spread 乐天堂app下载 word
If you can鈥檛 take a picture of your stash, click on our slides below to post on Twitter or download 乐天堂app下载 image to share elsewhere and encourage your friends and family to help make redecorating more sustainable.
Example post: I admit it. I'm a #PaintStasher! And I'm not alone, @RoySocChem shows 75% of UK households have leftover paint stashed away. Take photos to show your stash to raise awareness of this sustainability issue - 乐天堂app下载n call for change at rsc.li/paints
Launching 乐天堂app下载 next sustainability revolution
Our roadmap for sustainable PLFs sets out two critical missions and nine priorities to mobilise focused collaboration, investment and innovation across 乐天堂app下载 system. We are calling for industry, academia and policymakers to work with us to catalyse 乐天堂app下载 transition to a world in which we enjoy 乐天堂app下载 benefits of PLFs while protecting 乐天堂app下载 health of people and 乐天堂app下载 planet.