Seagulls Reuse Paint celebrates 20th anniversary

National World - LocalTV

Pioneering Leeds paint re-use social enterprise, Seagulls, are celebrating 20 years helping people to access recycled low-cost paint to redecorate their homes and upcycle furniture.

Transcript

00:00A lot has happened I suppose in 20 years. There's a lot to think about but I'm not

00:10a great thinker at the best of times I'm much more of a doer so yeah it's been

00:14great to have this bit of time now to reflect. I feel very proud of the team

00:19and me and everyone who's played a part in it and we've all grown up with this

00:25place you know and I wouldn't want to work with other people anymore I'm just

00:28I'm happy in this family. There's a group of misfits. Oh hello Martha, a little cheers.

00:38Seagulls, 20 years, take one. Tell me when you're ready.

00:43Do you talk through it?

00:44Say check one, check one. Hello?

00:49That does work.

00:5028 seagulls.

00:52Nice.

00:55Kettle downstairs.

00:5720 years seagulls.

00:5920 years of seagulls.

01:0020 years of seagulls.

01:0120 years of seagulls.

01:05Yeah so we started in a little office in Kirkstall.

01:09We very much wanted to create jobs for ourselves and others and jobs for

01:13people who did find it more difficult to get a normal job and I was very determined

01:18not to have a normal job.

01:21And then moved further down the road into Airplace Mills which we were at for 19 years.

01:27Feels like a long time.

01:29Boxing Day floods, Covid, yeah lots has happened really.

01:33They recently decided to redevelop the area so we found this building at the beginning of this year.

01:39I think this is great sort of hold back LS11 in Leeds. I think it really works for us.

01:45I've always wanted to make a difference and have some purpose.

01:52Come Kettle.

01:54Since we've been open 20 years we've shaved 4 million litres of paint that we've been

02:00just shoved in landfill.

02:02That is like a drop in the ocean but if we can spread the message of what we're doing

02:06maybe more people will start doing the same.

02:08There needs to be a much more circular economy within paint manufacturing and we seagulls

02:13are at the forefront of making that happen.

02:15If we're not collecting we're not doing recycling of paint. How much paint goes to the landfill?

02:22How much affects our environment?

02:25So it's just like an amazing job.

02:28It's definitely empowering to say that you're doing something good for the ground that we step on.

02:32There is something good for the world.

02:34I do feel proud.

02:36For me the work that Seagulls does it's perfect in showing what true sustainability is

02:43whether it's environmental because it's diverting things from landfill

02:48or whether it's social sustainability because it's supporting people into employment and training

02:54or financial sustainability because if you go to Seagulls and buy your paint it's going to be cheap.

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