10 March 2025
By Elaine Murphy
elaine@TheCork.ie
Over 2,000 litres of high-quality paint was upcycled in Cork City and County last year for use by local communities as part of the Relove Paint Community Paint Grant Scheme.
The latest Relove Paint Community Paint Grant Scheme is now open for applications, following a successful three-year run in supporting community groups across the county.
The Community Paint Grant Scheme is open to community groups, sports clubs and schools who can apply for up to 15 litres of paint, most of which is internal water-based paint, but some external paint may also be available.
This scheme, which supports a circular economy through the recycling of unwanted paint, has seen widespread participation over recent years. Last year, 96 groups, including Tidy Towns, community associations, sports clubs, and schools from across Cork, received over 2,000 litres of high-quality, upcycled paint.
To date, over 30 tonnes of paint has been diverted from incineration and redirected to reuse, benefitting communities across the country. The public is encouraged to bring unwanted or leftover paint to their nearest recycling centre so it can be reused by the Relove Paint project.
The Lord Mayor of Cork, Cllr Dan Boyle said: “The Relove Paint Community Paint Grant Scheme is an opportunity to enhance circular economy initiatives within the city while allowing a cost-effective, high-quality paint product to be accessed by local communities”.
Cllr. Joe Carroll, Mayor of the County of Cork said: “The Relove Paint Community Paint Grant Scheme not only promotes environmental sustainability but also builds confidence in the use of upcycled paint. The feedback from last year’s recipients was overwhelmingly positive, with many reporting the high quality and coverage of the paint which helped improve community buildings, sports clubs, and schools”.
Relove Paint is the result of a collaboration between, Cork City Council, Cork County Council and three local social enterprises: Northside Community Enterprises, IRD Duhallow, Revamp, and Cycle Sense. The social enterprises collect unwanted paint from City and County Council recycling centres, then remix and recolour it before redistributing a high quality but low-cost paint back into the community.
The deadline for applications is Friday 4 of April 2025.For more information on Relove Paint visit www.relovepaint.ie and to apply for the Community Paint Grant Scheme, please visit https://www.surveymonkey.com/