PaintCare: Preparing for Launch

By Dr Steve Snaith, BCF Consultant

Reprocessing

The focus this period has been on optimising the collection routes and particularly routes for recycling of the collected paint. Recognising the shortage of capacity to remanufacture leftover paint in the UK in the short term, a review of routes used across the world has been undertaken and opportunities identified to start up the programme in the UK. Routes used for recycling of left over paint at the launch of the programme may need to be very different to the final desired state.

Discussions are underway with UK reprocessors and companies from the USA and Ireland where left over paint is reprocessed at scale.

Routes and operators have now been identified for recycling of the packaging collected through PaintCare with metal containers being sent for recycle and plastic paint containers being sent for recycling back into new plastic paint containers.

Carbon Footprint As part of the decision making on which routes to use in reprocessing leftover paint, a report on the carbon footprint of the various routes has been commissioned from Resource Futures. This work will estimate the carbon footprint of the options under consideration including that of the current outcomes for left over paint. It will also assess the carbon footprint of the proposed collection process.

Regulation Further work with Defra and the Environment Agency has resulted in an in-principle agreement that would allow collection points for both water based and solvent based paints to be provided without having to have them permitted and registered as waste collection points subject to limits of material being stored at any one point. This is a significant step forward allowing easy set up of leftover paint collection points across the country. Stakeholders There is now a frequent and increasing dialogue with local authorities and HWRCs who want to start up with PaintCare now and work is underway to develop the implementation plan with appropriate sites. There is also high interest from retailers.

RWM and Let’s Recycle Live Exhibition PaintCare had a stand at the recent RWM and Let’s Recycle Live Exhibition at the NEC in Birmingham. This is the leading exhibition for those involved in the waste and resource recovery industry and PaintCare exhibited to gauge interest in and opportunity for PaintCare within the sector.

Interest in the programme and stand was higher than expected resulting in two busy days. Visitors fell broadly into three categories. Local Authorities and HWRC managers who universally wanted to be involved in the programme. Waste companies ranging from the national waste and resource recovery companies to local waste collectors. They all collect paint as part of their business and were interested in the programme. The final category was facility and site managers ranging from housing associations, housebuilders, factory managers to film studios and shopping centres. All have paint leftover after their projects or clients projects which is difficult and expensive to dispose of and they saw potential value in PaintCare to them.

Next steps

• Stakeholder engagement

• Development of implementation and final launch plan

• Presentation of fully costed implementation plan to BCF Board in February 2023

• Phase 1 rollout early 2024