How to Get Free Paint via the Community Repaint Project

I don’t know whether this is common knowledge or not – but it was new news to me, so I thought I’d do a blog post on it. What am I talking about? The Community RePaint Scheme. This was introduced to me from someone I work with and I have no idea how I didn’t know about it!

If you’re after free paint, then the community repaint scheme is exactly that. Paint has to be carefully disposed of (you should never put into a normal bin), taken to skip to be recycled. I never really thought about where it went from there – but with the Community Repaint scheme, that paint is essentially re-used and goes straight back to the community.

Lots of it is donated to different projects and charities, such as housing associations, theatre groups, schools etc, but it’s also up for grabs to the public too. Throughout Nottinghamshire, every so often there are special days where you can go to your skip and take home as much paint as you want (well, within reason).

Obviously, if you’re after a specific brand in a specific finish, then your chances of finding exact what you need may be fairly slim (although not impossible!), but if you’re a bit more open to different shades or just want a standard white, then this is the place for you! It’s not just wall paint either; metal paint, spray paint, wood paint, fence paint, oh the selection is extensive!

I would also especially recommend using this scheme if you’re after paint for arts and crafts, maybe to use with the kids or even furniture recycling. It’s also great if you’re on a budget and want to redecorate a room on the cheap! After all, brand new paint costs around £25 a tin! So really, this scheme is certainly not to be sniffed at, there are some serious savings to be made!

I’ve checked this scheme throughout the rest of the UK and it seems that the rules differ per county – some areas only seem to offer the paint to those on benefits, and some county’s aren’t actually on board with this scheme at all. You can find out more information, and where your nearest scheme is, by clicking here. Presumbaly the rules depend on demand and supply – but it’s certainy worth checking out! We’ve collected a ton of white paint to use around the house.