Seagulls Celebrates Two Decades of Eco Friendly Paint Recycling

Seagulls is celebrating 20 years. They help people get cheap, recycled paint. People use it for homes and furniture. Two friends started it in Burley. They wanted to help the environment. They also aimed to improve their community.

Seagulls provided training and volunteering. Bright community spaces resulted. These spaces include their Water Lane home, as well as the Rainbow of Hope at Leeds City Market. Many homes benefited too.

They partnered with Leeds City Council, and the first paint bin arrived in 2005. It went to Pudsey. Since then, they have recycled much paint, over two million liters. That equals six pools or 750 elephants!

Volunteers worked 4,325 hours in 2024, giving over £1 million in value. This helped Leeds residents a lot. Cat Hyde, Seagulls’ founder, won an award in 2023 for Social Entrepreneur of the Year. They also won a PWC award in 2024.

Leeds residents can help by dropping off paint at recycling centers, finding the pink Seagulls containers. The paint gets recycled, and you can buy it cheaply. Go to Seagulls Paint Store on Water Lane.

Cat Hyde says it has been wild. Floods, Covid, and rising costs arose. Yet, Seagulls survived, and she is proud of their work. Councillor Rafique also spoke, proud of Seagulls’ work. They turn waste into something useful, and Seagulls helps the community by stopping paint waste. They provide training and workshops, with volunteering also offered.