Hi there. So last time out I introduced you to the concept of the Library of things, within the Elmbridge Community Eco Hub. Hopefully you managed to get some idea of what its about.
This blog post will focus on the Community RePaint initiative. Part of the plans for the Hub will be to try to saver as much paint and therefore chemicals entering landfill and out water systems. Community RePaint (CRP) is an initiative organised and coordinated by Hubbub – a UK charity who aim to inspire healthier, greener lifestyles across fashion, food, homes and neighbourhoods. Hubbub run and support many fantastic initiatives around the country – CRP being just 1.
In the UK 50,000,000 litres yes 50 MILLION litres of the 320 million litres sold each year goes to waste either thrown aware or stored under he stairs cupboard or in the garden shed or garage! We plan to join the 65+ schemes already up and running in the UK to help reduce the amount of paint owing to waste, but to also offer a very affordable option to people looking to brighten up their life, or the area they live in. Someday, as the Elmbridge scheme grows, who knows we may be in a position to employ people to help in the scheme, but for the moment we will rely on volunteers to get things moving.
There are a few different models to the approach.
The ‘Partnership’ model
This approach allows schemes to collect paint from any of the following sources: –
- End of line, dented, mis-tinted paint from retailers and trade paint
- Part-full and full tins of paint donated from painters and decorators, waste contractors and maintenance companies
- Part-full and full tins donated from households via a Household Waste recycling Centre (HWRC)
The ‘Retail only’ model
Does what it does on the tin. These schemes only collect paint from retailers, manufacturers and waste contractors.
The local authority/waste management company run model
Again does what it says on the tin. Th scheme is run by the waste management company or local authority – in our case Elmbridge Borough Council.
Elmbridge Community Eco Hub scheme aims to run with the partnership model (subject to approval) which seems to be a best of both worlds approach. Space will be a huge limiting factor for us. However as with all of our initiatives there will always be room for expansion providing we can find the support and funding to do so. Many if not all the other CRP schemes run as independent entities, not within a Hub as we plan. However, I think our plan will work well as we will have a lot of people visiting the Hub for other reasons who may not be aware of the CRP scheme, but will leave as ‘converts’.
So what kind of paint will be store. We cannot store all paint as some is actually hazardous. As such we will only accept, store and distribute:
- Emulsion
- Gloss
- Eggshell
- Undercoat
- Primer
- Masonry and floor
- Exterior
- Varnishes and wood stains
- Tile
So, what happens to the paint when we have it in store? Well the plan is that’s the whole community will benefit. The paint will be available either for free or for a very low price to individuals, community groups, charities, hospitals, GP surgeries, voluntary and sports groups, arts and theatre groups.
So what are the benefits of running a scheme like this? There are many from saving resource (paint), reduces the requirement for landfill and incineration, sustainable resource use, reduces waste ( only buy what you need), supports the local economy and community, provides potential work experience and social upskilling, reduces cost to local authorities, and provides low income families and community groups access to affordable paint. There are many more, but I don’t want to send you to sleep just yet!
Clearly there will be a lot of regulation and oversight on the scheme and we will work with Hubbub and their partners from the outset to ensure we do everything as they require.
Thanks for reading and please remember to share the word of the Elmbridge Community Eco hub
ElmbridgeCommunityEcoHub on Facebook