National painting contractor, Alfred Bagnall & Sons, based in Cleckheaton, Yorkshire, is officially taking part in industry-led national product stewardship scheme, PaintCare – the first of its kind in the UK.

PaintCare’s aim is to establish a circular economy for leftover decorative paints and packaging, as well as supporting social enterprises that specialise in paint reuse.

Developed by the British Coatings Federation (BCF), with support from leading industry organisations, PaintCare addresses current concerns around the waste and disposal of leftover paint.

Currently, a huge 98% of leftover paint is sent to landfill, incinerated or poured down the drain. PaintCare is on a mission to recycle, reuse or re-manufacture 75% of this leftover paint and achieve a 42% recycling rate for paint packaging by 2032.

With quality funding from UK paint manufacturers, PaintCare is able to cover all costs of transporting, sorting and recycling leftover paint to prevent it heading straight for landfill.

The Director of PaintCare Ltd, Dr Steve Snaith, commented:

“Every year, millions of litres of leftover paint are lost to landfill and incineration in the UK. The PaintCare trial will help us understand how best to collect, re-manufacture and recycle this valuable material to support a more circular future for decorative paint.”

With numerous paint drop-off points popping up at decorating centres and paint retailers, the scheme is currently undergoing a trial in the West Midland area, allowing members of the public to hand over their leftover paint, completely free of charge.

Collections of the paint itself will be managed by Biffa for the duration of the trial, ensuring the smooth running of the scheme.

PaintCare’s official launch took place at the House of Commons, during a Parliamentary Reception. Representatives from the scheme spoke alongside BCF members and MPs. Bagnalls was also amongst those in attendance, pledging to support the scheme through its Midlands branch, located in Wolverhampton.

Ben Featherstone, Sustainability and Compliance Manager at Bagnalls, said,

“It’s great to see a collaborative approach to dealing with leftover paint and empty packaging developing within our industry. At Bagnalls, we always welcome innovation that improves our ways of working, so supporting PaintCare and the BCF was an absolute no-brainer for us."

“This industry-led, innovative circular economy scheme aligns directly with our values, protecting our planet by reducing carbon emissions, preventing excessive waste and supporting local enterprises with donations of reusable and re-manufactured paint.

“We’re excited to see how PaintCare develops in the future and more than happy to support the trial, in the hope of growing the scheme towards a national launch.”

Joanne Gualda, Director at Bagnalls, added,

“I have been in the industry for many years and have pushed for change within Bagnalls and within the industry as a whole. We’re always committed to adopting new ways of working so that we can drive for a greener future."

“Bagnalls fully supports PaintCare’s objectives and hope that the results of the West Midlands trial back the need for a national rollout of this vital initiative.”

Thanks to the involvement of Bagnalls, PaintCare now has access to accurate data from a national contractor, which aids understanding of paint volumes with a view to a potential nationwide rollout of the scheme.

Director of PaintCare Ltd, Dr Steve Snaith, commented,

“The support from Bagnalls is key to us developing a model that we can scale up and use to create an accessible national scheme. The insight Bagnalls is able to provide will help us achieve our ambition to increase paint reuse, recycling and re-manufacture rates to 75% by 2030.”

With the development of this important scheme for the painting and decorating industry, we’re seeing yet another shift towards greener practices for individuals and businesses alike. As the industry focuses on sustainability, we can look forward to a greener vision of the future.