October 6, 2026
Chesterfield decorator champions Paint Green scheme
A painter and decorator from Chesterfield features in a new trade body case study about efforts to drive down waste in the sector as part of the landmark Paint Green scheme.
The Painting and Decorating Association (PDA) is the UK’s largest trade body for the sector and has shone a spotlight on Stuart Yates Professional Decorator as a business that has embedded sustainability principles into its day-to-day operations.
Stuart is Chair of the PDA and has been a painter and decorator for 50 years, setting up his own business in 1983, when he also became a PDA member. He joined the PDA’s Paint Green scheme when it was launched in 2023.
Each year around 50 million litres of decorative paint ends up in landfill, and PDA’s Paint Green members are among those taking decisive steps to reduce this figure year on year by reducing, reusing or recycling and are able to display the special Paint Green logo to demonstrate their efforts.
Stuart said: “I’ve found that having the Paint Green logo has been a benefit to my business.
“It’s helped me win more work and I have more and more conversations with clients about what I’m recycling and how I’m trying to reduce waste or protect the environment.
“As a sole trader, I think it’s about giving things a bit of thought and applying those old-fashioned values of waste-not-want-not, thriftiness and common sense to the way you run your business.”
As well as switching to water-based paints, Stuart has changed the way he estimates and purchases paint to reduce waste, recycles and excess and paint containers alongside reusing kit wherever possible.
He’s also invested in an electric van and gives his time to help restoring public telephone boxes in the area.
Stuart added: “All of these are small changes, but they do make a big difference. It’s just about putting a bit of thought into how you operate and where you can build in a new habit that makes better use of your tools, your materials and your time.
“I think the traditional approach extends to providing a high-quality service and using your skills to improve your community too.
“The iconic red phone boxes can get a bit run down, or become a target for vandals, but when they’re painted up and the community can use them for something, it makes a big difference.
“In Bolsover they’ve added planters to the repainted phone boxes and it makes me proud to see the comments on social media from residents and visitors about how nice they look.
“They’ve enhanced the area, retained a heritage feature and provided a food source for pollinators too. It’s not a major project, but when it comes right down to it, I do think it’s the small changes that, with a bit of thought, can make a big difference.”
PDA members who join the Paint Green scheme commit to reducing waste paint and preventing paint containers from going to landfill year-on-year.
Neil Ogilvie is PDA Chief Executive. He said: “Our Paint Green initiative is designed to allow painting and decorating businesses of all sizes, from sole traders to large contractors, to adapt their working practices and help drive down waste.
“Stuart is an inspiring example of someone who is embedding that ethos into his working life, and we are delighted that he has agreed to share his story in an online case study for PDA’s Paint Green.”
Stuart’s case study can be read in full at: https://paintingdecoratingassociation.co.uk/members-hub/member-resources/paint-green/
