New research from Dulux and the Community RePaint network has revealed that the average UK home has over four cans of unused paint – collectively enough paint to fill 20 Olympic-sized swimming pools.
The research, commissioned by Dulux, comes as Community RePaint opens its 100th network member, with an additional 10 members having joined this year, making it more accessible than ever before and enabling more people across the country to donate their leftover paint and benefit the local community.
With one third of homeowners purchasing paint in the last six months, 65 per cent have either accidentally or purposely bought more paint than required. This is despite tools like the Dulux Paint Calculator which quickly and accurately estimates exactly how much paint you need. The average leftover paint can remains unused for 4.3 years, with one in 10 leaving paint cans for over a decade. Additionally, nearly a quarter (23 per cent) do nothing with leftover paint whilst nearly a fifth (17 per cent) of respondents admit to keeping old paint simply because they do not know what else to do with it.
However, there is appetite for change: over three quarters (77 per cent) would love to see their surplus paint used in a community project. Despite this, the majority (79 per cent) are unaware of local reuse schemes that could benefit from unused paint. As paint waste is clearly a growing issue in the UK, it is important to educate consumers on how they can give their leftover paint a new life by encouraging circularity and reuse.
Since its inception, Community RePaint has redistributed 5.4 million litres of paint to individuals and community projects and it continues to grow nationwide. The network was originally launched through funding provided by Dulux in 1993 and has been solely sponsored by the brand for over two decades. Alongside redistributing paint, the network also remanufactures it to produce its own ReColour paint.
Peter Howard, Sustainability and CSR Lead at AkzoNobel, the parent company of Dulux paints, commented: “We know many UK households still have reusable leftover paint gathering dust in cupboards and sheds instead of being put to good use. That’s why our longstanding partnership with Community RePaint is so important. It offers a simple, circular solution that redistributes paint to good causes and helps brighten lives. We’re proud to see Community RePaint reach 100 schemes and look forward to helping the network colour even more lives in the future.”
Community RePaint was established to tackle these challenges and encourage greater re-use of leftover paint by recovering and redistributing paint waste to individuals and groups in the wider community at affordable prices, reducing paint going to landfill. According to the British Coatings Federation, 50 million litres of paint are wasted every year in the UK. In 2024 alone, the Community RePaint network helped colour 356,800 lives through redistributing 366,538 litres of paint, positively impacting 2,500 community groups ad 44,500 individuals and families whilst saving the equivalent of 989,625 kg of CO2 emissions.
Dulux’s sponsorship of Community RePaint and commissioning of this research forms part of AkzoNobel’s wider purpose to “Paint the Future”. Dulux and AkzoNobel continue to make promising progress towards achieving our ambitious aims. These include: reducing carbon emissions in own operations and value chain by 50 per cent in 2030; using 100 per cent circular materials in 2030; empowering over 100,000 people by 2030; and supporting over 2,000 community projects by 2030.
Lilian Graves, Community RePaint Communications Coordinator, commented: “What sets Community RePaint apart is our commitment to sustainability, so to see the impact our redistribution networks have on helping the UK reduce paint waste is really heartening.
“Community RePaint is determined to find a solution for the 50 million litres of paint that goes to waste in the UK each year. If every unwanted, forgotten can of paint was donated to the Community RePaint network, that’s a lot of a little actions that add up to create a massive difference.”
How to use Community RePaint
If you are looking for paint for your home or community project, you can use the postcode search on the Community RePaint website below to find your local scheme. On their website you can also find out how and where to pass on leftover or surplus paint for reuse from your home or business.
If you need 60 or more litres of affordable high-quality paint delivered to your organisation, consider ReColour as an option. With over 17 colours available and ranges in emulsion, masonry, chalk furniture, and garden paint, there is sure to be a paint solution for your organisation or home. Visit the Community RePaint website with the link below to order paint to be delivered straight to your door.
See communityrepaint.org.uk/need-paint/our-remanufactured-paint/order-recolour/