Can someone pick up my old paint?

Your pickup options at a glance

PaintCare door-to-door pickup (10+ gallons)

PaintCare offers free home pickup in a few places. It's meant for people with about 10 gallons or more. If you have less, PaintCare suggests a drop-off site instead.

• Colorado: households in El Paso, Teller, Arapahoe, Adams, Broomfield, Denver, Douglas and Jefferson counties. Like the New York and DC programs, PaintCare calls this a limited-time service. Call (720) 854-8722 to see if you qualify.
• New York: households on Staten Island. Call (800) 507-4200.
• District of Columbia: households in wards 2, 4, 7 and 8 only. Request service online or by email through PaintCare's DC page. Questions: (855) PAINT09.

PaintCare large-volume pickup (100+ gallons)

If you have 100 gallons or more in a PaintCare state, PaintCare may pick it up for free. It counts by container size, not by how much is inside. So 80 one-gallon cans plus four 5-gallon buckets count as 100 gallons, even if many are half full.

Contractors, property managers, businesses and households can apply. You fill out PaintCare's online Large Volume Pickup form, or call (855) PAINT09. Meeting the 100-gallon mark doesn't mean automatic approval.

• Not allowed: people or groups who collect or haul paint from others, like junk haulers, foreclosure cleanout companies and HOAs.
• Oil-based paint from a business: outside Illinois, the business must qualify as an exempt generator under hazardous waste rules. New York has an exception for its pickup service.
• Don't gather neighbors' paint to reach 100 gallons without asking PaintCare first.

How to count your paint

PaintCare counts large-volume pickups by container size, not by how much paint is left. Count the same way when you ask anyone for a quote. Here's how a typical garage adds up.

City and county home pickup

Some cities and counties will pick up household hazardous waste, including paint, at your home. These programs often have tight rules. Here are real examples from PaintCare's locator and city pages.

• Phoenix, Arizona: free home pickup for customers with a city residential trash account. One pickup per year. Set items outside by your garage or front door.
• Folsom, California: door-to-door pickup for Folsom residents only, by appointment, up to 15 gallons per visit.
• Vista, California: the city's hazardous waste facility lists free door-to-door service for residents over 65.
• Texas: many cities list curbside or porch pickup, including Plano, McKinney, Denton, Allen, Cedar Park and Flower Mound. Most need an appointment and set container or weight limits.

1. Search your city or county name plus "household hazardous waste pickup."
2. Ask if paint is included. Some programs skip latex paint and tell you to harden it.
3. Ask about limits, how often you can book, and if there's a fee.
4. If you're older or have a disability, ask if there's a special pickup program.
5. Put paint out only on your confirmed day, in the spot they tell you.

Will a junk removal company take paint?

Often not, at least not liquid paint. 1-800-GOT-JUNK, for example, lists "chemicals, solvents & oils" as things it won't take. Its list doesn't say yes or no about paint, so you'd have to ask.

Remember that PaintCare won't do large-volume pickups for junk haulers. So a hauler can't count on free PaintCare pickup for your paint.

If a hauler says yes, ask: Do you take liquid latex paint? Oil-based paint? Where does it go? Is there an extra charge per can? Get the answer in writing.

Paid paint pickup services

If free pickup doesn't fit, you can pay someone to come to you. This helps when you have no car, too many cans to carry, a move-out deadline or no time for drop-off hours.

Paint Again is one option. We pick up leftover latex and water-based house paint, primer, stain and varnish in sealed, labeled containers up to 5 gallons. We don't take oil-based paint yet. We're reviewing state rules before we add it. We also don't take spray cans, thinners, solvents, strippers, or leaking or unlabeled cans. Pricing is by container size, and you see the total before you book.

How to compare paid quotes

Give every company the same list: how many cans, what size, and what kind. Then ask how they price it. It might be by can size, by paint left, by weight, by labor or with a minimum charge.

Ask about stairs, extra products, cancelling and where the paint goes. Get a written quote with what they take, the total, the area they serve and what happens if your load is different. "Paint removal" doesn't always include oil-based paint, solvents or business waste.

Get your paint ready for pickup

1. Sort cans into latex, oil-based and everything else.
2. Check labels and lids. Most programs won't take unlabeled or leaking cans.
3. Count containers by size: quarts, gallons and 5-gallon buckets.
4. Keep paint out of the sun and rain and away from kids and pets until pickup.
5. Get a confirmed date. A request or a preferred date isn't a booking.
6. Keep your confirmation and any receipt.