Pioneering West Sussex paint recycling project gets go-ahead

The venture is a paint recycling scheme, planned for the Rudford Industrial Estate, at Ford.

Permission was granted to Newlife Paints Ltd for a change of use of two units from business 'light industrial' to waste recycling.

County councillors were told the innovative project would involve the recovery and recycling for re-use of emulsion paints.

These would be recycled for use as full-specification all-purpose paint.

The firm's managing director, Keith Harrison, said an estimated 50m litres of unused emulsion was stored in garages, sheds and cupboards.

Gradually, this ended up in the waste stream, and the enormous figure did not include damaged tins of paint from retailers.

Mr Harrison said the scheme was the first in the UK and the EU, although there were a few in the United States.

Companies had expressed interested in buying the recycled paints, but sales could not be pursued until commercial production was under way.

A report by planning officers said the process involved only water-based emulsion paints, classified as non-hazardous.

As this facility would be the first in the UK, let alone West Sussex, there was no obvious or demonstrable need.

"In planning terms, the proposal would result in waste material being recovered and recycled, and moved up the waste hierarchy, rather than being simply disposed of," it added.

"This is supported by national policy."

The applicants were currently in discussion with the Environment Agency regarding research and development into waste paint recovery and recycling.

The agency had classified the proposal as a 'low-risk operation' and issued the applicants with waste management exemption certificates that allowed the activities to take place without an environmental permit having to be obtained.

Operations would be inspected by the agency to ensure compliance with pollution prevention protocols.

Steel waste-paint tins would be crushed and bundled together, to be sent off site for recycling. Plastic containers would be sent for shredding and recycling.

Cllr Christina Coleman said she felt the project would be an asset to the community and West Sussex as a whole.

"I thoroughly recommend this," she declared.

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