Paint-can bench given to Oswestry group
A young people's supported housing centre in Oswestry has been donated a bench made entirely out of recycled paint cans.
The bench has been given to Shropshire Towns and Rural Housing’s (STAR Housing) New Century Court site by its paint supplier, Crown Paints.
Louise Hinett, Crown's specification sales manager, said: “We have been able to recycle hundreds of tonnes of used paint cans through our 'Can Back' scheme over the last six years, giving them a new lease of life by turning them into benches. We were more than happy to donate a recycled paint can bench to STAR Housing and we hope residents at New Century Court enjoy using it once the weather picks up in the spring.”
STAR Housing’s neighbourhoods manager Martin Whitelegg thanked Crown by saying: “We were very pleased to accept the generous donation of an environmentally friendly bench which we have since placed in an area our customers can enjoy. We thank Crown for their generosity and value their partnership.”
Partnership
The benches have been created through a partnership between Crown and the social enterprise charity NIMTECH.
Operating from two recycling plants at Crown’s UK manufacturing sites in Darwen and Hull, the charity provides employment opportunities to the long term unemployed.
Through the scheme, empty paint cans are collected from Crown’s network of more than 150 decorating centres, recycled and turned into brand-new outdoor benches by NIMTECH.
As a result of the partnership, Crown has saved an estimated 800 tonnes of paint cans from going to landfill thanks to its ‘Can Back’ service.
STAR Housing is an arms-length management organisation that manages council housing stock on behalf of Shropshire Council.
