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Paint: Recycling

Question for Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

UIN 103551, tabled on 13 January 2022

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if he will take steps to develop a national strategy for the re-use and recycling of unused household paint.

Answered on

19 January 2022

We recognise that solvent-based paint, paint thinner and white spirit are hazardous and as such, disposal can be challenging.

We welcome voluntary action being taken by industry, such as the British Coatings Federation’s Paintcare proposals, and community initiatives, supported by local authorities, to allow donations to local community repaint schemes. The law at present encourages reuse and recycling through waste hierarchy obligations on all waste handlers.

To strengthen action on reuse, we will shortly publish our new Waste Prevention Programme for England on which we consulted in 2021, including on steps to improve local systems and services that facilitate reuse and recycling of this nature.