Community RePaint and Fixy shortlisted for national reuse award
19 March 2026
Two flagship community projects from Resource Futures – Community RePaint and the Fixy project – have been named finalists for ‘Reuse Initiative of the Year’ at the 2026 Awards for Excellence in Recycling and Waste Management.
The nominations recognise both projects’ innovative work in helping people repurpose everyday items, from leftover paint to unwanted electricals. Winners will be announced on 13th May 2026 in London.
“Community RePaint and the Fixy project are helping people to see leftover paint and old electricals differently, providing them with knowledge and avenues to make reuse an easy, everyday choice. It’s encouraging to see their work and success being recognised by the industry, and we’re looking forward to pushing our impact on addressing paint waste and e-waste even further over the coming years.”
Jude King, Project and Development Manager – Communities, Resource Futures
Community RePaint: giving leftover paint a second life
Every year, the UK throws away around 50 million litres of paint – enough to fill 20 Olympic swimming pools. For more than three decades, Community RePaint has tackled that waste head on, building the UK’s biggest paint reuse network and diverting 6.6 million litres from disposal to date.
Sponsored by Dulux and managed by Resource Futures, the network teams up with councils, retailers and manufacturers to collect unwanted paint and redistribute it to people, charities and community groups.
In 2025, Community RePaint grew to more than 130 member organisations and redistributed over 300,000 litres of paint. That paint brightened the homes of 39,000 people, supported 1,100 community groups, and resulted in carbon savings of 990,500kg.
Learn more about Community RePaint and find your nearest member.
Fixy: mobilising communities to solve the e-waste crisis
While millions struggle to dispose of old electricals correctly, only a third of UK residents feel confident recycling them. That is where Fixy steps in.
Created by Somerset Council, Resource Futures and DonateIT, the bright blue Fixy van travels to rural and hard-to-reach communities in Somerset and further afield to promote the message of repair and reuse. Since 2022, it has sparked more than 8,700 conversations about repair, refurbishment and responsible recycling — and kept over 13,400 kg of electrical items out of landfill.
Beyond its core activities of public events and tech amnesties, Fixy has supported the launch three new repair groups, enabled electricals recycling trials in flats, and worked with DonateIT to redistribute refurbished tech to people experiencing digital poverty.
Fixy is entirely grant funded – with initial funding from Ecosurety (2022–2023), followed by Material Focus’ Electricals Recycling Fund (2023–2024), and bridge funding provided by Somerset Council and SUEZ. In 2025, the project continued to thrive thanks to ongoing funding from the Hinkley Point C Community Fund and the National Lottery’s Awards for All.
The project is now expanding its reach with 40 new small electrical drop-off points in libraries and community spaces across Somerset, Devon, North Somerset and Dorset, funded by the Material Focus Electricals Recycling Fund.
Learn more about the Fixy project and find your nearest tech drop-off point in the South West.
When communities come together to collaborate and share skills, resources and enthusiasm, they create opportunities for real change.
Learn more about how Resource Futures is empowering communities to take action to tackle environmental challenges.
