Paint recycling scheme receives Govt accreditation

Environment Minister Nick Smith today announced the Government’s accreditation of Resene’s PaintWise recycling and education programme as a product stewardship scheme.

“Product stewardship schemes are an excellent way of getting all parties involved in the production and distribution of a product to take responsibility for its environmental impact at the end of its life,” Dr Smith said.

“This initiative will help ensure surplus paint is not washed down our sewerage or stormwater systems where it can cause significant environmental harm. It’s about better caring for our waterways, estuaries and ocean environment as well as recycling paint and containers.”

Resene PaintWise finds beneficial uses for waste paint products, including donating good quality paint to community group projects. Waste paints may also be mixed together to form a grey coloured paint, Resene EchoPaint, which is available to councils and community groups to cover graffiti. All the steel and plastic paint pails returned as part of the PaintWise scheme are recycled.

“People tend to buy more paint than they need for a project and the waste paint is often left in sheds and cupboards drying out, before being taken to the local landfill. This scheme provides New Zealanders with an environmentally responsible way of disposing of their waste paint.” Dr Smith said.

“Staff at Resene’s stores also encourage responsible paint purchasing by helping customers better calculate the amount of paint needed for their project. When purchasing paint, people are also told they can return unused paint and paint containers to the store, to be reused and recycled.

“Under the Waste Minimisation Act, I can accredit product stewardship schemes that meet the criteria for reducing waste and environmental harm. The Resene PaintWise scheme has been successfully operating for six years and is the sixth product stewardship scheme I have accredited.

“Resene is an excellent example of an organisation taking responsibility for waste in its industry. I encourage other organisations and industries to get accredited so they too can receive the economic and environmental benefits of product stewardship.”