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 - Interior & Exterior - Used/Wet

Opened, partially full, or wet containers or cans of interior and/or exterior architectural paints: latex, acrylic, water-based, alkyd, oil-based, enamel (including textured coatings), as well as field and lawn paints.

Household Hazardous Waste

This item should never be put in a curbside bin. For more information visit our household hazardous waste page.

Use up wet, leftover house paint or offer it up to community members. Drop-off paint for recycling at no cost to a local PaintCare site. Accepted items include house paint as well as primers, stains, sealers, and clear coatings such as shellac and varnish.

Paint Waste: Empty, dried out paint cans and buckets may be accepted for recycling. Stirrers, pans and brushes with dried paint go into the garbage. Chemical soaked rags are accepted by some Household Hazardous Waste Facilities. Empty spray paint belongs in the recycing bin (cap off); use up or safely dispose of cans spray paint. Water used to clean paint brushes with acrylic paint (water-based) can be poured down the drain. Paint thinner used to clean paint brushes used with oil-based paint is considered hazardous waste for residents and businesses to bring into a hazardous waste facility.

Vendors

Vendor Address City Destination Disposal Method Notes
Outdoor Supply Hardware 1025 Ashby Ave Berkeley Recycle Free Drop-off Restrictions: Limit: 10 gallons per visit. Paint is accepted during regular business hours; Call ahead for hours and to make sure the store can accept the amount and type of paint you would like to recycle. This site accepts latex and oil-based house paint, stains and varnish in containers up to 5 gallons in size. This site does not accept aerosols (spray paint or other spray products), containers without original labels, or containers that are leaking or empty.
Shoreway Environmental Center (SEC) 333 Shoreway Road San Carlos Recycle Free Drop-off Public Recycling Center Drop off area
Habitat for Humanity ReStore San Jose 1608 Las Plumas Ave. San Jose Recycle Free Drop-off Accepts used/open paint for recycling.
Cole Hardware 956 Cole St. San Francisco Recycle Free Drop-off There is a 5 gallon limit per trip.
Alameda County Business Hazardous Waste Program (Hayward Facility) 2091 West Winton Avenue Hayward Recycle Drop-off for a Fee
Kelly Moore 5600 Imhoff Drive, Suite A Concord Recycle Free Drop-off
Alameda County Business Hazardous Waste Drop-in Program (Oakland Facility) 2100 East 7th Street Oakland Reuse Drop-off for a Fee Latex paint only. The paint sale program at the Oakland HHW facility happens Tuesdays from 900AM and closes at 12:00PM (noon) - $25 per 5 gallon pail available in white and beige.
Alameda County Business Hazardous Waste Program (Oakland Facility) 2100 East 7th Street Oakland Reuse Drop-off for a Fee Also, The paint sale program at the Oakland HHW facility happens Tuesdays from 900AM and closes at 12:00PM (noon) - $25 per 5 gallon pail available in white and beige.
REAP Center 2133 Tynan Ave Alameda Reuse Free Drop-off Latex or tint. Dark green or dark brown.
Safety Kleen Systems (Sacramento) 6000 88th Street Sacramento Safe Disposal Pick-up for a Fee
West County HHW Collection Facility 101 Pittsburg Ave. Richmond Safe Disposal Free Drop-off, Drop-off for a Fee
Safety Kleen Systems (Rohnert Park) 5750 Commerce Blvd Rohnert Park Safe Disposal Pick-up for a Fee

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