If you’ve ever dropped off leftover paint at a recycling location, you probably didn’t picture it ending up as a mural. But that’s exactly what happened at the Ridge Meadows Recycling Society depot in Maple Ridge, BC.
Local artist Alex Neff picked up reclaimed paint through PaintShare program and turned a blank depot wall into a full landscape scene: mountains, evergreen trees, an eagle in flight, community volunteers, and a recycling-symbol sun. Every colour in the mural came from paint that residents had dropped off.
Alex standing in front of the initial pencil sketch on the wall.
The process: Turning leftover paint into art
Alex has a background in interior design and is a passionate upcycler, so reclaimed materials are kind of their thing. They started by projecting their sketch onto the wall, then worked through the PaintShare inventory to build out the palette. The design was inspired by the Ridge Meadows Recycling Society logo, brought to life as a nature scene with wildlife and volunteers connecting with the land.
They didn’t need to do much colour mixing either. “There was such a variety of colours that there wasn’t much need to blend at all,” Alex said. “I was happy to put the reclaimed paint to work.”
Painting a mural at a busy recycling depot means you’re going to get visitors. People kept stopping by to watch, ask about the project, and learn about PaintShare along the way. A few even grabbed paint for their own projects while they were at it.
“It was a lot of fun to experience the community curiosity while we worked on the mural. Lots of folks stopped by to say hello and ask questions. I was excited to answer them and tell people all about the PaintShare program. Some paints even found new homes throughout the installation!”
The project also became a team effort at the depot. The whole Ridge Meadows Recycling Society staff got involved, coming together to help with the paint-by-numbers steps, which turned the mural into a placemaking experience for everyone!
Volunteers in safety vests painting the community mural together.
The result: A community mural made with reused paint
The completed piece now sits beneath the PaintShare sign at the depot entrance. For Alex, the whole experience went beyond the artwork itself.
“This project was a great opportunity to live my values through my practice. I am so grateful to the community for the paint and the experience.”
Any paint leftover from the project was returned to the depot for recycling.
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- Finished mural created with reclaimed PaintShare paint.
Got leftover paint? Reuse it through PaintShare
Every year, many usable paint cans are dropped off at PaintShare recycling locations across Canada. Some get recycled into new products, and some get picked up by community members, do-it-yourselfers, and artists for their next project. This mural is proof that leftover paint can have a pretty solid second life.
Find a recycling location near you: productcare.org/recycling-locator
