Guide for Reuse, Repair, Recycling, and Safe Disposal
for Alameda County, Contra Costa County, and the City of Palo Alto
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Paint Cans & Buckets - Empty & Dry

Empty paint cans, buckets, or pails are five-gallon size or smaller, and are empty or have a thin film of dried paint on the interior.

If paint is dry, tap paint chunks into trash. Place dry, empty can or bucket into recycling bin (if accepted for recycling in your curbside program) or trash with the lid separated.

Use up wet leftover paint, offer it to neighbors, or drop it off for paint recycling at a PaintCare partner paint store. Find recycled paint for resale at ReStore locations.

Rags, stirrers, pans and brushes with dried paint may go into the garbage. Empty spray paint belongs in the recycling bin (cap off); click here for partially uses cans of spray paint.

Vendors

Vendor Address City Destination Disposal Method Notes
Civicorps Recycling 101 Myrtle St. Oakland Recycle Pick-up for a Fee Remove excess dry paint chips, let residue dry. Put in recycling cart with lid off.
Davis Street (WM) Resource Recovery Complex (Transfer Station) 2615 Davis St. San Leandro Recycle Free Drop-off Must be empty/dry. Remove lid before recycling the container and lid.
Dunn-Edwards (Pleasant Hill) 555 Contra Costa Blvd Pleasant Hill Recycle Free Drop-off
Fremont Recycling & Transfer Station 41149 Boyce Rd. Fremont Recycle Drop-off for a Fee Must be empty/dry. Remove lid before recycling the container and lid.
Glidden Professional Paint Center 2260 Commerce Ave Suite C Concord Recycle Free Drop-off
GreenWaste Hayward Transfer Station 3458 Enterprise Ave Hayward Recycle Drop-off for a Fee Must be completely dried. NO WET PAINT.
Pleasanton Transfer Station 3110 Busch Rd. Pleasanton Recycle Free Drop-off Empty and dry cans and buckets only.
Pleasanton Transfer Station 3110 Busch Rd. Pleasanton Landfill Free Drop-off Empty and dry cans and buckets only.
Sherwin-Williams Paint Store 3505 Deer Valley Rd Brentwood Recycle Free Drop-off
Sherwin-Williams Paint Store 1241 Diamond Way Concord Recycle Free Drop-off
Waste Management of Alameda County 172 98th Ave. Oakland Recycle Pick-up for a Fee Commercial waste hauling service

Curbside Service

Recycling Garbage Note
Alameda
Remove lid, shake paint chunks out into garbage and place empty, dry paint can or bucket into recycling cart. (Lid, too, but separately.)
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Albany
Only empty and dry paint cans are accepted. Remove lid, shake paint chunks out into garbage and place empty, dry paint can into recycling cart, do not attach lid. Containers with wet paint should be dropped off at www.PaintCare.org locations.
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Berkeley
Remove lid, shake paint chunks out into garbage and place empty, dry paint can or bucket into recycling cart. (Lid, too, but separately.) (Wet/liquid paint accepted at www.PaintCare.org locations or use up.)
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Castro Valley Sanitary District
Remove lid, shake paint chunks out into garbage and place empty, dry paint can or bucket into recycling cart. (Lid, too, but separately.)
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Dublin
Remove lid, shake paint chunks out into garbage and place empty, dry paint can or bucket into recycling cart. (Lid, too, but separately.)
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Emeryville
Only empty and dry paint cans are accepted. Remove lid, shake paint chunks out into garbage and place empty, dry paint can into recycling cart, do not attach lid. Containers with wet paint should be dropped off at www.PaintCare.org locations.
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Fremont
Remove lid, shake paint chunks out into garbage and place empty, dry paint can or bucket into garbage. (Lid, too, but separately.)
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Hayward
Remove lid, shake paint chunks out into garbage and place empty, dry paint can or bucket into recycling cart. (Lid, too, but separately.)
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Hayward (Oro Loma - L2)
Remove lid, shake paint chunks out into garbage and place empty, dry paint can or bucket into recycling cart. (Lid, too, but separately.)
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Livermore
Paint cans must be empty and dry, remove lids. No paint bucket, those go into the trash.
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Newark
Remove lid, shake paint chunks out into garbage and place empty, dry paint can or bucket into recycling cart. (Lid, too, but separately.)
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Oakland
Remove lid, shake paint chunks out into garbage and place empty, dry paint can or bucket into recycling cart. (Lid, too, but separately.)
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Piedmont
Remove lid, shake paint chunks out into garbage and place empty, dry paint can or bucket into recycling cart. (Lid, too, but separately.)
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Pleasanton
Remove lid, shake paint chunks out into garbage and place empty, dry paint can or bucket into recycling cart. (Lid, too, but separately.)
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San Leandro
Remove lid, shake paint chunks out into garbage and place empty, dry paint can or bucket into recycling cart. (Lid, too, but separately.)
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San Leandro (Oro Loma - L3)
Remove lid, shake paint chunks out into garbage and place empty, dry paint can or bucket into recycling cart. (Lid, too, but separately.)
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San Lorenzo (Oro Loma)
Remove lid, shake paint chunks out into garbage and place empty, dry paint can or bucket into recycling cart. (Lid, too, but separately.)
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Unincorporated Oro Loma (L1)
Remove lid, shake paint chunks out into garbage and place empty, dry paint can or bucket into recycling cart. (Lid, too, but separately.)
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Union City
Remove lid, shake paint chunks out into garbage and place empty, dry paint can or bucket into recycling cart. (Lid, too, but separately.)
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RE:Source is an online directory for reuse, repair and proper disposal options for the California East Bay area and Palo Alto. Our goal is to connect you with the best options for what you need to get rid of or repair. Please note that we do not accept any items directly.

If you have questions or feedback about this directory, please get in touch, we'd love to hear from you.

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