09:25 Wednesday 12th January 2011 BBC Radio Cambridgeshire
CAROL CARMAN: A new scheme has been started up in Cambridgeshire. Now this is recycling paint, but that’s nothing new. Across the country paint has been recycled The new element to this is that the cans whether plastic or tin can then go on and be recycled, which is saving an awful lot of paint cans from going into landfill. With the recycling of the paint the community groups benefit, and with the recycling of the cans, the environment benefits. I went along yesterday to Milton Recycling Centre. (TAPE)
SPEAKER: Can I welcome everybody here today to the Milton Recycling Centre. Obviously the County Council is always very keen on recycling. This is yet another opportunity for residents to recycle. (FADE OUT)
MARTIN PEARSE: Martin Pearse, Community Repaint Work Manager for the UK.
CAROL CARMAN: And why are you here today?
MARTIN PEARSE: For the launch of Cambridgeshire’s Community Repaint project.
CAROL CARMAN: BBC Radio Cambridgeshire sort of played a tangential part in this didn’t we?
MARTIN PEARSE: That’s true. You did an interview with one of my colleagues back in August. I think you’d heard about the notion of Community Repaint, thought it was a good idea. Soon after that, literally days or weeks after that, I don’t know whether it was a result of hearing that broadcast, but Donarbon contacted us, and since, during the Autumn, we’ve been working with them, reusing a vital material that sometimes people don’t have any further use for, but is not rubbish, is not going to be thrown away, and can be reused for people that have a need for it.
CAROL CARMAN: And also you’re tapping into a vast resource, because everybody’s got leftover paint in their garage, or their shed, or under the stairs.
MARTIN PEARSE: Research shows that the average household has about seventeen part full cans of paint in their garage, or in their shed. And probably, when I say that, I think I’ve probably got more than that in mine.
CAROL CARMAN: And where does the paint go?
MARTIN PEARSE: Right. It’s then taken back to Wisbech, at the moment, and it’s going to be sorted there, and then it’s going to be availabl;e for redistribution, for community groups, charities, housing associations, families and individuals in need. And that’s the greatest challenge, to then publicise to the people of Cambridgeshire that this is available.
NIKKI DIGIOVANNI: I’m Nikki DiGiovanni and Programme Manager for CCORRN, Cambridgeshire Community Reuse and Recycling Network.
CAROL CARMAN: You’ve got a big smile on your face.
NIKKI DIGIOVANNI: Oh well it’s fantastic. This is our first launch date, and the container’s almost full. So I think we’ve tapped into what we knew the situation was, that there’s a huge amount of unused paint. And then on the other side of it, as a community organisation, we get lots of people coming to us saying, have you got some paint. Because we’ve got a village hall that needs doing, or a scout hut, or there’s a community arts project, and they need some paint to do the carnival floats, or something like that. So this is a way that we can directly respond to those now.
CAROL CARMAN: So you’re looking forward to hordes of people coming to you, asking you for paint?
NIKKI DIGIOVANNI: Absolutely. We’re launching our new website, so there’s actually going to be a facility on there so people can actually put their wants and wishes, so we can actually collect certain types of paints specifically for people as well. Because if you’ve got lots of part bits of paint in different tins, then we can actually mix those up for them, and make them a whole container full. And if there’s a particular arts project that they want, we’ve actually got volunteers and staff as part of our organisation, who’d like to get involved and help with that too. (LIVE)
ANDY HARPER: What a brilliant scheme that is. And I heard that chap say most of us have got around seventeen. I reckon I’ve got thirty including various varnishes and stains and one thing and another. And you always think you might need them, and then when it comes to doing a job then you go and buy another tin. It’s a great idea, and if you’d like to know further details, and obviously it was Carol who was reporting on it yesterday, then just give us a call, 08459 252000.
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