Bagnalls x PaintCare: The Push for a Greener Future
15 May 2026
Bagnalls is proud to be taking part in the UK’s first industry-led national product stewardship scheme, PaintCare. With the aim of establishing a circular economy for leftover decorative paints and packaging, while also supporting social enterprises, PaintCare aligns perfectly with our aim to create a more sustainable future for our industry.
Currently, a huge 98% of leftover paint is sent to landfill, incinerated or simply poured down the drain. PaintCare is on a mission to change this, aiming to recycle, reuse or re-manufacture 75% of this leftover paint and achieve a 42% recycling rate for paint packaging by 2032.
Developed by the British Coatings Federation (BCF), with support from leading industry organisations and funding from UK paint manufacturers, PaintCare covers the cost of transporting, sorting and recycling leftover paint to prevent it heading straight for landfill.
In the first UK trial of the scheme, decorating centres and paint retailers across the West Midlands have created a number of paint drop-off points, allowing members of the public to hand over their leftover paint for reuse, completely free of charge.
“Every year, millions of litres of leftover paint are lost to landfill and incineration in the UK,” Dr Steve Snaith, the Director of PaintCare Ltd, explains. “The PaintCare trial will help us understand how best to collect, re-manufacture and recycle this valuable material to support a more circular future for decorative paint.”
During the recent PaintCare launch event – which took place at the House of Commons, during a Parliamentary Reception – representatives from the scheme spoke alongside BCF members and MPs. Bagnalls was excited to attend this event and pledge our support for the scheme via our Midlands branch, located in Wolverhampton – furthering our focus on positive environmental practices.
Our Sustainability and Compliance Manager, Ben Featherstone, commented, “It’s great to see a collaborative approach to dealing with leftover paint and empty packaging developing within our industry. At Bagnalls, we always welcome innovation that improves our ways of working, so supporting PaintCare and the BCF was an absolute no-brainer for us.
“This industry-led, innovative circular economy scheme aligns directly with our values, protecting our planet by reducing carbon emissions, preventing excessive waste and supporting local enterprises with donations of reusable and re-manufactured paint.
“We’re excited to see how PaintCare develops in the future and more than happy to support the trial, in the hope of growing the scheme towards a national launch.”
Director, Joanne Gualda, added, “I have been in the industry for many years and have pushed for change within Bagnalls and within the industry as a whole. We’re always committed to adopting new ways of working so that we can drive for a greener future.
“Bagnalls fully supports PaintCare’s objectives and hope that the results of the West Midlands trial back the need for a national roll out of this vital initiative.”
As a national contractor, we’re pleased to provide PaintCare with vital information, helping to further an understanding of paint volumes, with a view to a potential nationwide rollout of the scheme.
Director of PaintCare Ltd, Dr Steve Snaith, commented, “The support from Bagnalls is key to us developing a model that we can scale up and use to create an accessible national scheme. The insight Bagnalls is able to provide will help us achieve our ambition to increase paint reuse, recycling and re-manufacture rates to 75% by 2030.”
With the development of this important scheme for the painting and decorating industry, we’re seeing yet another shift towards greener practices for individuals and businesses alike. As our brilliant industry focuses on sustainability, we can look forward to a greener vision of the future.