Can You Recycle Paint? Your Questions Answered
One of the simplest ways to reduce your carbon footprint and live more sustainably is by recycling. This means reusing precious materials, like the organic minerals found in paints, in effective and imaginative ways. Discover how you can reduce waste when decorating your home by recycling your leftover paint and paint tins.
How could I reuse my leftover paint?
Repurposing is an innovative and sustainable way to recycle your excess paint. Finding use for small quantities of paint is a great way to bring impact to your scheme.
Use leftover paint for small accent areas
Consider making use of leftover paint for smaller projects. This might include painting pieces of furniture, door architraves, the inside of a bookcase or even a window frame.
Recycling paint in this way allows you to get creative with colour. Why not add a joyful colour highlight to your staircase by using a bold shade? Or update your skirting for an instant refresh?
Read our guide to painting interior woodwork.
Or find inspiration for refreshing wooden furniture with leftover paint.
Donate leftover paint to good causes
Alternatively, you could ask a friend or neighbour if they might find a use for your remaining paint. Or you may like to gift larger amounts to community groups. There are also some charity organisations that arrange to donate paint to local causes.
Can you recycle paint?
If you are unable to find a creative use for your leftover paint, some local recycling centres accept paint for recycling.
If you’re unsure of what to do, contact your local waste recycling centre for their disposal requirements.
Is paint recyclable on a larger scale?
Precious raw ingredients and chemicals are so easily disposed of in ways that are harmful to the environment. As with many environmental issues, perhaps the most effective way to tackle the problem is at an industry level. That’s why we’ve created a collection of upcycled paints called ‘Re:mix’.
Our upcycled paint collection, Re:mix, recycles our unwanted and waste paints into a beautiful matt finish. After substantial research, our team of chemists have developed intelligent blending techniques to enable this industry-first venture. The Re:mix collection is available in 20 Little Greene shades in convenient 2.5l tins. You can purchase our limited collection of Re:mix paint exclusively on our website, while stocks last.
Our signature flat finish, Absolute Matt Emulsion, also contains recycled content. Each tin of Absolute Matt Emulsion is now made up of 40% recycled ingredients. This eco-upgrade is thanks to the introduction of a new high-quality resin - the part that binds all the ingredients together. This beautiful, chalky, low-sheen paint is available in all our colours, and also in our 60ml sample pots.
Can my empty paint cans be recycled?
Little Greene tins can safely be recycled through your local household waste recycling centre. Our metal tins contain over 50% recycled metals.
With a little imagination, empty paint tins can instead become useful household items. You could choose to repurpose your tin into a kitchen utensil holder or even a plant pot.
Just make sure to rinse out your tin with warm soapy water until all the paint residue has gone.
For our Re:mix collection, we produced a unique paint tin which features a bespoke design by freelance artist and maker, Caroline Dowsett. Each tin will remain a beautiful addition to the home, long after the walls have been painted. With every purchase, we provide some suggestions for how you could upcycle your Re:mix tin.
Discover our Re:mix recycled paint collection and find out more about our eco-friendly paints.