Paintback — A Simple and Free Way to Keep Our Planet Clean
We live on a beautiful yet fragile planet, and I believe that if you are reading this you are just as passionate about supporting the health of our environment as I am. But we are also all human, with societal, physical, and financial limitations that impact the resources available to us, at any given moment.
So, whilst our heart’s desire might be to use 100% toxin free products, there are times we may find ourselves in a bind, and one of those times is when we are painting our homes. Or if you are a professional painter, it might not be your call as to which product you use — this might be up to your employer or your client.
You are probably already aware that most housing paint contains volatile organic compounds (VOCs) which can cause harm both to your health (a serious concern for anyone but especially for children, elderly and people living with an illness) and to the environment. But did you know that VOCs can be released into the air from the fumes of your paint for years after the original application? VOCs may cause nausea, dizziness, memory loss, impaired vision, and even cancer.
Whilst it is ideal to use a zero VOC product, there are only a few, not very-well-known options available, though more eco-conscious products are entering the market. I’ll write about these options soon. For now, what can we do when we have to use, or have unwittingly used, a paint that contains VOCs, to minimise their impact? Well, to protect human bodies we can open up the windows and doors, wear a face mask, and make sure that those who are more vulnerable aren’t present. To protect the environment, something that we can do is to dispose of this paint thoughtfully.
Paintback is an Australian not-for-profit initiative that was started by some of the most well-known paint traders in 2016. The simple idea is to take leftover paint products — both the paint and the packaging — to a recycling facility linked to Paintback, where these products will be collected from and then recycled. And the two closest locations to Rockingham are Cleanaway in Kwinana and Millar Road Landfill Facility in West Baldivis.
You can drop off up to 100 litres at a time, in 20 litre containers, at no charge to you. And it’s not just paint that can be recycled! Wood coatings, varnishes, shellac, primers, and packaging are some of the other products that can be recycled too. There’s a list on the Paintback website, or you can have a look at my Instagram, where I’ve posted a photo of the list.
Right now, Paintback’s process is to separate the paint from the containers, recycle those containers that haven’t been contaminated, and use the paint as an alternative energy source. (How cool is that?!) So far more than 38 million kilos of paint and packaging have been collected since the initiative began.
But Paintback’s bigger aim is to reduce the waste of the paint industry by 90%, using a circular economy model — where products are not simply created, consumed, and discarded, but care is taken from birth to death then rebirth of the product, if you will — and research is being conducted on diverse uses for recycled paint such as making geopolymer concrete, ‘a type of concrete that is made of industrial waste and processed at room temperature. This would significantly reduce the greenhouse gas emissions associated with the production of other cements, which is processed at temperatures over 1400 degrees Celsius’; recycling the plastic from paint buckets to make new paint buckets; and using old paint as an ingredient in road construction materials.
It might take a little extra time to dispose of your paint in this way (and please don’t think I am claiming to be perfect at this!) but if all of us took a little extra time to dispose of our household waste thoughtfully, we may just buy a little extra time for our future loved ones on this planet. Not to mention having a cleaner home to live in today.
Do you know about other eco-conscious community initiatives in and around the Rockingham area? Or even an individual person making a conscious decision that positively impacts our community? Please send me an email at jodie@southernharbour.org or a message on Instagram and let me know, as I am always looking to connect with and showcase local creatives and community-minded entrepreneurs.
