How to dispose of latex paint

Can you throw away latex paint?

Usually yes, but only once it is completely dry. No program we found lets you put liquid latex paint in the trash. Liquid paint can leak out of a garbage truck and spill onto streets and cars. Haulers can refuse your trash if they see it.

Dried latex is a different story. Many cities and counties say a can of hard, dry latex paint can go in the regular trash. Minnesota’s state pollution agency, Rhode Island’s state recycling agency, Hennepin County, King County, Washington, and Denver all say this on their own pages. Illinois EPA says a permitted landfill may accept a homeowner’s paint waste.

There are two big exceptions. California treats leftover latex paint as hazardous waste and bans it from the trash, even when dry. Vermont bans most paint from landfills, with a narrow exception for small amounts of solidified water-based paint. Check the state table below.

Your options, best to last

Work down this list. Stop at the first one that works for you.

1. Use it up. Touch-ups, a closet, a garage wall or a second coat all count.
2. Give it away. Neighbors, community groups and reuse stores may want good paint. Keep it in the original labeled can.
3. Recycle it. In PaintCare states, retail stores and other sites take latex paint for free. Many counties outside those states run their own paint or hazardous waste drop-offs.
4. Dry it and trash it, if your area allows it. This is the fallback for small amounts or bad paint you can’t drop off.
5. Pay for a pickup if you have a lot of paint, no car or no time. Check for free pickup programs first.

Latex paint rules by state

This table shows what state agencies and large local programs say. Your city or hauler can be stricter, so check them too. The 12 PaintCare states plus DC are California, Colorado, Connecticut, DC, Illinois, Maine, Maryland, Minnesota, New York, Oregon, Rhode Island, Vermont and Washington.

How to dry latex paint for the trash

Only do this where your area allows it, and only with paint you know is latex. If you plan to recycle, keep the paint liquid. PaintCare sites take liquid paint in its labeled can.

1. Work outside or in a garage with the door open. Keep kids and pets away.
2. For less than an inch of paint, take the lid off and let it air-dry. Warm, dry weather helps. It can take a few days.
3. For more paint, stir in an equal amount of clay cat litter or a store-bought paint hardener. If the can is full, pour half into a second container first so it doesn’t overflow.
4. Let it sit until it is hard all the way to the bottom. A dry skin on top is not enough.
5. Put the can in your trash cart with the lid off, so the driver can see it’s dry. Some counties ask for the lid back on or the can bagged, so follow your own hauler’s rule.

What not to do with latex paint

• Don’t pour it down a sink, toilet or storm drain. EPA lists all of these as improper disposal for household products like paint.
• Don’t dump it on the ground or in the yard.
• Don’t put liquid paint in the trash or the recycling bin.
• Don’t fill a can with water and leave it outside to “thin it out.” Denver specifically asks people not to do this.
• Don’t mix latex with oil-based paint, thinner or other leftovers. Mixed products may not be recyclable.
• Don’t add litter or hardener to good paint you could recycle or give away.

How latex paint recycling works

PaintCare is run by paint makers. It sets up free drop-off sites in the states listed above. You already paid a small fee when you bought the paint, so there’s no charge at drop-off.

Every PaintCare site takes at least 5 gallons per visit, and some take more. Paint must be in its original can, 5 gallons or smaller, with the maker’s label and a tight lid. Sites turn away leaking, empty or unlabeled cans.

PaintCare says most collected latex is made into recycled-content paint. Some goes into concrete mixes, landscaping products or landfill cover.

Which stores take paint changes store by store. Use PaintCare’s site locator and call ahead. Our drop-off guide shows how to find a site near you.

Is latex paint hazardous waste?

In most states, no. Carroll County, Maryland, says latex and water-based paints are not hazardous waste and doesn’t take them at its hazardous waste events. King County, Washington, also sends latex away from its hazardous waste sites.

California is the big exception. There, leftover latex paint is presumed hazardous. That’s why it can’t go in the trash, even when dry.

“Not hazardous” doesn’t mean “pour it anywhere.” Liquid paint is still banned from the trash in many places, and it can still clog pipes and harm streams.

Special cases

• Not sure it’s latex? Read the cleanup directions. Soap and water means latex. Mineral spirits or thinner means oil-based. See our guide on telling them apart.
• Paint gone bad: A sour or rotten-egg smell, or jelly-like clumps that stay after stirring, are signs latex paint has spoiled, per Sherwin-Williams. Dry it or drop it off. Don’t give it away.
• Rusted or leaking can: PaintCare sites won’t take leaking cans. Call your county hazardous waste program and ask what to do.
• No label: PaintCare needs the original label. Take unlabeled cans to a household hazardous waste site and tell them you don’t know what it is.
• “Acrylic” paint: Acrylic house paint is water-based and handled like latex. Artist and craft acrylics are not PaintCare products. Ask your local program about those.
• Lots of cans: Some county sites set yearly limits. Hennepin County takes three 5-gallon pails of latex per household per year, with no limit on 1-gallon cans. PaintCare offers free pickup for 100 gallons or more.
• Business paint: Businesses can drop off any amount of latex a PaintCare site will take. Some county hazardous waste sites don’t take business paint at all.

What it costs

Dropping off at a PaintCare site is free. Drying paint at home costs only the cat litter or hardener. Outside PaintCare states, check your county’s page to see if its paint drop-off charges a fee.

If you have too much paint to haul, or no car, Paint Again can pick it up. See our pickup guide for free options to check first.