UK Community Group Spreading Outreaching: Donating Unused Paints To More In Need

It’s always a great feeling when you can donate things you don’t need anymore and make a difference in the lives of others. Community RePaint is helping people do this in the UK and is now expanding too!

Photo courtesy of dexknows.com.

Community RePaint is a non-profit network that collects unused paints from individuals, groups, and companies, and then donates them to those in need such as individuals with economic hardships, community organizations, charities, and public establishments (i.e. schools, hospitals, nursing homes, etc.).

Community RePaint has now launched a new chapter in Cambridgeshire, adding to its current network of over 50 community-based chapters, including locations in Cornwall, Belfast, and Inverness.

It’s the first new chapter in the network this year. The Cambridgeshire chapter will collect residents’ unwanted paints through six household waste recycling centers run in partnership with the Cambridgeshire County Council and Donarbon, a waste management company.

The Cambridgeshire chapter will then distribute the paints to local charities, community groups, and people in need, according to Nikki DiGiovanni, the chapter’s program manager, who said, “We already have a waiting list of people wanting paint – from schools to play groups, to people who are unemployed and just want to do up their house.”

Among the network’s notable community collaborations has been work with the Lighting Up project, which works to bring art and color into the lives of people living with dementia.

Community RePaint provided the majority of the paint for a series of murals for The Lime Center in Kingswood, which provides care and activities for people with dementia who are under the age of 65.  Patients worked with the artists to create the murals.

Last year, the national network of Community RePaint redistributed over 215,000 liters of paint to community groups, charities, volunteer organizations, and people in need. The network estimated the market value of the redistributed paint at £1.2 million ($2 million).

Community RePaint accepts paints that it considers in reasonable condition, which means that they are still in their original containers; less than ten years old; and more than a third full.

The only types of paints that it accepts are:

• Emulsion Paints (including vinyl matt and vinyl silk)
• Gloss
• Eggshell
• Satin Paint
• Undercoat
• Primer
• Floor Paint
• Masonry Paint
• Exterior Paint
• Varnishes and Wood Stains
• Tile Paint

If you want to donate paint, the network advises you to contact your local council for information. To find out about receiving paint, the network asks that you go to its website and enter your postcode to locate your nearest chapter.

Reader comments and input are always welcomed!