Paintback has opened a new facility in Melbourne to reclaim and repurpose unwanted paint and packaging.
The Paint Circular Economy Headquarters (PaCE HQ) is reported to be the first facility of its kind in the world.
It can process over 19 tonnes of raw paint per day, as well as 3000 kilograms of plastic and 5000kg of metal paint packaging.
PaCE HQ undertakes end-to-end sorting and separation of paint material from its packaging, turning them into reusable materials.
Recycle and reuse
Paintback chief executive officer John Ferraro says the company aims to repurpose over 90 percent of the paint and packaging that it collects.
“Paintback is a pivotal industry-led initiative committed to diverting unwanted paint and packaging away from landfills and crucial waterways,” Ferraro says. “Since [our] inception in 2016, we have successfully collected and treated over 60 million kilograms of unwanted paint and packaging.
“We provide an extensive network of cost-free collection points which span over 165 locations across Australia and cover over 85 percent of the general population.”
The new Melbourne facility will receive mixed domestic and trade architectural and decorative paint and packaging.
Teams at the facility will sort the material streams for reuse and also undertake research and development into new ways to repurpose unwanted paint materials.
The production of new products from reclaimed paint, such as Paintback Greyscale PaCE HQ, is completely self-funded by Paintback and has injected $14 million into the Victorian economy.
PaCE HQ adds 30 jobs to Braeside, including 17 new full-time employees based at the plant.
“The waste industry does not have the correct equipment [or the] intent to repurpose paint and its packaging to a level that is acceptable in a modern economy based on circular economy principles, as is increasingly being regulated by government. This is the reason PaCE HQ now exists,” Ferraro says.
Photograph: Supplied
Paint not, waste not: Paintback provides solution to waste problem
