B&Q is taking part in an industry-wide trial and offering a paint recycling service across selected stores in a bid to tackle one of the UK’s biggest waste challenges, leftover decorative paint.
The DIY giant, in collaboration with UK PaintCare, will collect leftover paint and tins from customers in seven of its stores.
The unwanted decorating materials will then be transported to specialist facilities where it will be assessed for reuse, remanufacture or recycling into alternative products. Returned paint that is not suitable will be safely disposed of, B&Q said.
The trial comes as an estimated 34 million litres of waste decorative paint are generated each year in the UK, with only 2% currently recycled.
Participating stores include: B&Q Coventry (Alvis Retail Park and Brandon Road), Halesowen, Kidderminster, Solihull, Wolverhampton and Wednesbury.
The trial will also operate across other participating retailers, including Brewers Decorator Centres, Dulux Decorator Centres and Johnstone’s Decorating Centres.
B&Q head of responsible business Samantha Dyer said: “We are pleased to participate in this early stage PaintCare trial and proud to support the British Coatings Federation in concept-testing a national, industry-wide approach to managing leftover paint.
“By giving customers and trade professionals an easy and convenient way to return leftover paint and empty tins, we are helping them make more responsible choices without adding extra steps to their projects.
“We want sustainable disposal to feel completely effortless, supporting the development of a more circular approach to DIY waste and helping keep valuable materials in circulation for longer.”
PaintCare director Dr Steve Snaith added: “Every year, millions of litres of leftover paint are lost to landfill and incineration in the UK.
“The PaintCare trials will help us understand how best to collect, remanufacture and recycle this valuable material and support a more circular future for decorative paint, and the support from B&Q and other leading retailers is key to us developing a model we can scale up and create an accessible national scheme, to help us achieve our ambition to increase reuse, recycling and remanufacture rates to 75% by 2032.”
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