We know that the paint sold on this site are made from natural ingredients, which are easy to dispose of, some you can even just sling on the compost heap. But what about all the old paint you used before switching to natural paint?
Those old tins of paint, remember those? The tins you stumble over in the dark when parking your car. They’ve been there for years and you just haven’t done anything about them. We’ve all got them, tins of standard household paint you’ve bought on the high street, you’ve used it a bit and then left it rotting in the garage for now seems like an eternity – but you’d like that space back.
What do you do with the paint? We’ve heard of people tipping it down drains or down the sink, but you mustn’t do this, for a million reasons! Ever!
With your standard petrochemical paint or vinyl paint, your options have been pretty limited for the want to dispose of in a clean and environmentally friendly way. According to our local council, you can’t put liquid paint in your household waste kerbside collection, but if the paint is completely dried out it can be accepted in your rubbish collection. However, this is not what we would recommend. We would suggest heading to your local councils main cycling centre for the safest disposal, rather than it just heading to landfill.
In our area “Liquid paint can be accepted at the following Norfolk County Council Main Recycling Centres for safe disposal: King’s Lynn, Hempton, Thetford, Ketteringham, Mayton Wood, Mile Cross and Caister.” if you do head to your local waste recycling centre,
the paint must be in a proper designated container, such as the tin it came in, don’t take it there in anything else or the will reject it.
Top tips for getting more life out of the paint you already have
- When opening lids and containers, make sure you take care to not damage the lip so that a tight seal can be created again once on, some people suggest to then turn the paint upside down so the seal can be made, and then store upright. (Do this with care!)
- Make sure you protect the paint, both new and older paint by not letting it be in contact with extreme temperatures, as this can reduce the life of the paint
If you are looking for a way of safely disposing of both paints, varnishes, white spirits, there is another way. The community repaint sceme has been set up in the UK and can collect your leftover paint and helps to redistribute it to people who need it, such as individuals, families, communities and charities to help the appearance of places across the UK. Have a look at the website to see where your local repaint scheme is:
http://www.communityrepaint.org.uk/
“Your paint will be used by community and voluntary groups, charities and individuals in social need – for example to decorate a village hall, youth club, scout hut or the scenery for a school play.”
Our closest recycling centre to us Norwich, Norfolk, UK is at Mile Cross
Mile Cross Main Recycling Centre, Swanton Road, Norwich, NR2 4LH
Hi! I’m Chris, the founder of The Organic & Natural Paint Co, and I’m focused on the education and promotion of natural non toxic alternatives to chemical laden everyday products that we just take for granted. We have a choice, and I want to raise awareness of alternative products that don’t actually harm us!
This company is my way of pushing the awareness of better indoor air quality, something that I am personally passionate about due to my own children’s breathing medical conditions. I just couldn’t paint with big brand standard petrochemical paint any longer and wanted another solution.
Read more: About me
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