Master Painters, Bay of Plenty Councils, Tauranga Environment Centre and Dulux, Wattyl and Resene are together conducting the Paint Waste Reduction Campaign across the Bay of Plenty to raise awareness of environmental issues resulting from painting and paint waste disposal.

The paint companies involved all run paint waste disposal programmes to allow painters to return unused paint and old paint buckets.

The campaign reminds painters that everything that goes down stormwater drains ends up in our rivers, lakes and the sea. It also highlights the best way to reduce waste from painting.

Riki Nelson, Master Painter, says it is critical that people never dispose of paints or thinners in sewers or stormwater drains, and that both trade painters and DIYers need to treat paint washwater the right way, and recycle paint buckets. 

To learn more about painters' responsibilities, a 'Don't paint the drain' brochure can be picked up from paint shops in Tauranga, Rotorua, Te Puke and Whakatāne.

Painters can enter a text quiz and go into a draw to win fantastic prizes, including paint vouchers, paint waste treatment systems, and double passes to ‘swim with the dolphins’.

To enter the prize draws, DIY painters should text 'DIY' to 4363, while trade painters should text 'TRADE' to 4363. Texts cost 20 cents. Winners will be drawn at the end of November.