Does Home Depot take old paint?

Which Home Depot stores take paint?

We checked PaintCare's full list of drop-off sites, last updated October 6, 2026. It has 4,292 listings. Just two are Home Depot stores. Both are in San Luis Obispo County, California.

No Home Depot store is listed in any other PaintCare state: Colorado, Connecticut, DC, Illinois, Maine, Maryland, Minnesota, New York, Oregon, Rhode Island, Vermont or Washington. No Home Depot is listed outside those states either.

Store lists change. Check PaintCare's locator before you go, and call the store either way.

What the two listed stores take

PaintCare's listing for both stores says the same thing. They take latex and oil-based house paint, stains and varnish in containers up to 5 gallons. They don't take spray paint or other aerosols. They don't take cans without the original label, or cans that leak or are empty.

Both listings say households and businesses in California can drop off. Paint is taken during regular store hours. PaintCare asks you to call first to make sure the store can take the amount and type you have.

1. Check that each can has its original label and a tight lid.
2. Count your paint. Stop at 5 gallons for one visit.
3. Leave out spray cans, thinners and anything unlabeled.
4. Call the store and say what you're bringing.
5. Hand the paint to staff inside. Never leave it outside the store.

What Home Depot's own guide tells you to do

Home Depot's paint disposal guide (updated August 18, 2026) doesn't mention taking paint back at its stores. Here is what it says instead.

For oil-based paint, call your local health department to find household hazardous waste collection sites. It says oil paint is treated differently than latex paint.

For latex paint, it suggests buying only what you need, swapping with friends and neighbors, or donating it to groups like charities, churches, theaters or schools. If you can't, it says you may be able to dry it out and put it in your trash. Call your trash company first to make sure they take dried paint.

To dry larger amounts, it says to pour half-inch layers into a plastic-lined box. Let each layer dry before adding the next. Paint hardener, cat litter or sawdust speeds this up. Leave the lid off the empty can so the trash crew can see it's dry.

For spray paint, it says to spray the can empty onto cardboard and put the empty can in your recycling.

What Home Depot sells to help

Home Depot sells paint hardeners for latex paint you plan to throw out where that's allowed. When we checked, its site listed M-1 Paint Hardener for Paint Disposal (5 oz), Krud Kutter Waste Paint Hardener and Cobzorb Paint Hardener. Stock varies by store.

M-1's listing says it works on latex and oil-based paint spills. That doesn't make hardened oil-based paint OK for the trash. Home Depot's own guide sends oil-based paint to a hazardous waste site. Do that.

A hardener costs money and takes time. If you live in a PaintCare state, free drop-off is often the easier choice.

Where to take paint instead

Use the first option that works for you.

Paid the PaintCare fee at Home Depot? It doesn't mean they take paint

In PaintCare states, every store that sells house paint must charge the PaintCare fee. That includes Home Depot. The fee pays for the recycling program. It is not a deposit, and you don't get it back when you drop off paint.

Being a drop-off site is a separate choice each store makes. PaintCare says retailers volunteer, and about 20% of paint retailers in each state take part. In these states, paint stores like Sherwin-Williams and many Ace Hardware stores are listed far more often than Home Depot.