Tins of paint should never be put in your bin at home, unless they are empty or contain only solid dried-up paint residue. When tins of paint from a wheelie bin are crushed in the back of a rubbish truck, the paint can spill onto the street and cause problems.
When paint is buried in a landfill, the toxic chemicals it contains can contaminate the ground. Never pour paint down your sinks and drains as it may pollute our water courses.
A much better idea is to donate unwanted paint to our Community Repaint scheme. Community groups may use the paint to refurbish rooms or buildings used by their members. Housing associations may redistribute the paint to their tenants. It may be used by other groups for craft activities, for training or may even be used for stage sets by community theatre groups. The paint is not intended for resale.
The Community RePaint Scheme
Take tins containing liquid paint to Calverton, Newark, Beeston or Warsop Household Waste Recycling Centres. There are containers for you to drop off your donated tins of paint or you can hand them to a member of staff. Trained site staff will sort through each tin of paint to check whether it can be put into the reuse scheme.
Tins of paint suitable for reuse are labelled and displayed on shelves in the Community RePaint Nottinghamshire container according to colour and type. Community and voluntary groups registered on the scheme make an appointment to visit the site and can take the donated paint away free of charge.
Tins of paint that cannot be reused, will not be put into the reuse scheme but will be sent for specialist treatment. The metal or plastic containers will also be recycled where possible.
Read more about the Community RePaint Scheme on the Community RePaint website: www.communityrepaint.org.uk
Community Group Information
Community groups from Nottinghamshire and the City can apply to collect the paint for reuse. A wide range of groups will be eligible. These may include large organisations like housing associations or charities, but will also include smaller set ups like specific support groups, religious organisations, scout or guide groups and community theatre.
If you're not sure if your group will meet the criteria, e-mail: waste.management@nottscc.gov.uk with your details.
An application form is available to download [WORD]. Complete the details and sign it. Fax the completed form to fax: 0115 977 3900 or send by post: Waste Management, Trent Bridge House, Fox Road, West Bridgford, Nottingham NG2 6BJ.
If you have problems downloading the application form either ring the Customer Service Centre or e-mail: waste.management@nottscc.gov.uk and request a form.
Registration takes up to 5 working days and once registered on the scheme you will need to make an appointment before visiting either site to collect some free paint. We cannot guarantee that specific types and colours of paint will be available, but there's usually plenty of choice.
Free paint
From time to time, the Community RePaint Nottinghamshire scheme is opened to Nottinghamshire residents.
We have now announced the dates of the paint open evenings for this year.
