We are celebrating our paint re-use project’s 15th anniversary

FRP’s reclaimed paint project is celebrating its 15th anniversary.

The Paint Place, part of Forest Recycling Project, collects and redistributes paint which would otherwise go to waste. Staff & volunteers enable people on low incomes and community groups to acquire paint that might normally be too expensive, while protecting the environment from the damage caused by paint disposal and landfill.

Adam Paul, FRP’s paint business development manager: “We help residents turn a house into a home. As well as the environmental aspect, the project is about helping people on low incomes, and brightening up the area. Lots of community groups can access paint they wouldn’t otherwise have been able to do.” The project redistributes paint to individuals and community groups which can acquire paint from £1 per litre.

From April 2012 to March 2013, The Paint Place distributed 48,000 litres of paint to 2,000 people and 159 community groups across London.

Surplus paint is collected from re-use & recycling centres across London and commercial companies. The paint is sorted, quality checked, re-mixed if needed and sold as a sustainable, low cost alternative to new paint. Six local authorities, including Waltham Forest, work with The Paint Place and residents can donate leftover reusable paint at local re-use & recycling centres.

The FRP Paint Shop is located at 2c Bakers Avenue, Walthamstow, E17 9AW; it is open from 10am until 4pm on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Thursdays and Fridays, and 10am until 2pm on Saturdays.