Packaging accounts for about 10-20% of the total environmental footprint of a can of paint. However, after use most cans are still traditionally disposed of via general waste meaning they either end up in landfill or being incinerated. This is due to the fact that leftover paint and paint residue is hard to remove from the packaging material. If this residue is not carefully removed, it can also contaminate otherwise recyclable materials.

The Dulux Decorator Centre can recycling scheme, offers a practical and sustainable solution to this problem and allows painters to return cans that may have a small amount of residual paint inside.

The service is available across the DDC stores network and for convenience cans can even be collected from site. Metal and plastic is collected separately so that they can be managed through two different routes. Metal cans are sent to high temperature treatment to safely remove solvent residues and then recycled, whereas plastic cans are cleaned, chipped and reprocessed so they can be recycled into new plastic products.

Other decorating merchants offer similar schemes so please discuss this with your merchant or decorating professional and see how you can get your waste recycled.