Paint

Paint is used for props, décor, sets, staging and signage. Items are painted offsite by sub-contractors and onsite at the event.

There are potential sustainability issues which need to be considered and the best choices made when buying and using paint. Issues include;

  • Level of volatile organic compounds
  • Water or solvent based
  • Use of toxic pigments
  • Paint wash-up water contamination
  • Unused paint disposal

 

Consider this:

 

  1. Paint must be low VOC, non toxic and water based by preference.
  2. Unused paint is stored for future use or donated to a community recycled paint program.
  3. Paint wash-up water is disposed of responsibly, given the particular facilities of the painting location.

 

There are several issues which should be considered when purchasing and using paint.These include the manufacture, use and disposal of paint.

  • Buy paint made and owned in your own country
  • Buy zero VOC paint
  • Buy non-toxic paint
  • Buy paint which has independent eco-labelling
  • Dispose of paint wash-up responsibly
  • Give unused paint to someone that can use it

 

Volatile Organic Compounds
The lovely fresh paint smell is actually the paint ‘off-gassing’ Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs). VOCs are emitted as gases from certain solids or liquids. VOCs include a variety of chemicals, some of which may have short and long-term adverse health effects. They are also considered a greenhouse gas.

The VOCs come from the chemical and solvent mix that paint is made from. The carcinogens and neurotoxins in paints include benzene, formaldehyde, kerosene, ammonia, toluene, and xylene. (Those last two are solvents.)

Concentrations of many VOCs are consistently higher indoors (up to ten times higher) than outdoors.

Worker’s health is a concern for those crew who paint props, sets, decor, staging and signage during the production phase.

  • Buy low or zero VOC paint. The VOC amount will be written on the side of the can.

 

Water Based
This is the old ‘acrylic’ versus ‘enamel’ paint issue. Water based paints are quicker drying, naturally lower in VOCs as they are not solvent based, and they don’t need solvents to be used in wash-up.

Paints that are water-based will still contain pigments and chemicals and you need to also consider the wash up and waste water disposal.

  • Use water-based (acrylic) rather than solvent-based (enamel) paint.

Non Toxic Paint
You can go one step further and use paints which have non toxic pigments. Look for ‘eco paints’, there are many on the market.

Paint Washup
Unless you use a zero VOC and certified non-toxic paint, sending paint contaminated water down the drain is not appropriate. Paint solids need to be separated from water, or solvent sullage should be placed in a sealed and disposed of correctly (enquire with waste services, they will know what is appropriate given local facilities).

Commercial painting operations (offsite decor, staging, signage and prop production) will have paint sullage disposal facilities in place as a matter of law.

  • Ensure that paint wash-up sullage is disposed of responsibly whether onsite or at permanent production facilities.
  • Enquire how those painting decor, staging, signage, sets and props are disposing of paint wastewater.

Unused Paint
Unused paint should be stored and reused or donated to a community re-paint project.

  • Seek out local community re-paint projects to donate unused paint to

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