A community group in Tottenham has spruced up a previously-unloved laneway with a recycled material you might not have heard of: reclaimed paint.
Reclaimed paint (also known as reused, pre-loved or second-hand paint) is paint leftover from other projects that can be used again for something new. In this case, community group Friends of Hartington Park & Carbuncle Passage have used unwanted paint collected at north London recycling centres to add a splash of colour to their neighbourhood.
Running along the backs of houses on Poynton Road and Roseberry Avenue, Carbuncle Passage has long had the potential to be a great community space, but needed a bit of a facelift. The Friends of Hartington Park & Carbuncle Passage, all local residents, decided they could help by painting bright and beautiful designs on their back fences that border the laneway. They just needed one thing: paint, and that’s when they got in touch with the team at North London Waste Authority (NLWA).
With eight reuse and recycling centres across north London, NLWA collects lots of unwanted and leftover paint from residents. Rather than seeing the paint go to waste, NLWA allows residents to pick it up for free, and donates much of it to the Forest Recycling Project in Walthamstow who offer a great range of pre-loved paint at heavily discounted prices.
A shocking amount of paint goes to waste each year in the UK – a whopping 50 million litres annually – much of which could be reused. NLWA is on a mission to promote reclaimed paint as an alternative to buying new, so the team were more than happy to provide the Friends of Hartington Park & Carbuncle Passage with all the reclaimed paint they needed for their project – free of charge.
With a range of beautiful bright paints in hand, the residents were able to have a fun community day where they painted five fences with colourful, joyful designs. Chloe Chandler and Rachel Gornall (pictured in front of the pink door) – residents and organisers of Friends of Hartington Park & Carbuncle Passage – said of the project: “We are so grateful to NLWA for giving us this opportunity to use reclaimed paint to brighten Carbuncle Passage. The fact we have been able to utilise good paint that might have otherwise been thrown away is the cherry on the cake!
“Our dream is to drench this grey concrete corridor with colour, reflecting the vibrant community that lives in the area. Highlighting the potential of the Carbuncle Passage is part of our vision to better link the wonderful green space of Tottenham marshes to Tottenham High Road, increasing the number of residents accessing the benefits of this natural gem.”
The team at NLWA were equally delighted with the result, as it shows that reclaimed paint is just as high quality as new and can be easily turned into stunning artwork or used for DIY projects at home. NLWA Chair Councillor Clyde Loakes said: "It’s rewarding to be able to support a project that will bring a lot of joy to local residents, as well as promoting waste reduction and upcycling.”
North London residents wanting to use reclaimed paint for their own projects are able to pick it up for free from north London’s reuse and recycling centres, or browse a great range on-sale at the Forest Recycling Project in Walthamstow. More information about reclaimed paint – including details about other reclaimed paint projects NLWA has sponsored – is available on the NLWA website at nlwa.gov.uk/article/paint-reuse
