Drop it off
1 paint drop-off site within 12 miles.
- Jefferson County Household Hazardous Waste Day · Camp KetonaHazardous waste site6 mi
- Jefferson County Household Hazardous Waste Day · Camp BessemerHazardous waste site14.1 mi
Birmingham, AL Paint Disposal
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All drop-off locations in and near Birmingham3
Start with these
Jefferson County Household Hazardous Waste Day at Camp Ketona
121 County Shop Rd, Birmingham, AL 35217
- Accepts
- The county’s paint list: paints, stains, varnishes, solvents, thinners, turpentine, removers, adhesives, epoxy fillers, resins, sealants and wallpaper cement. The county page just says “paints” and doesn’t split latex from oil-based. Aerosols, car fluids, batteries, pool and yard chemicals, large appliances and electronics are taken too. The county has recently added rinsed glass bottles and jars, #1 and #2 plastics and aluminum cans to these events.
- Who can use it
- Jefferson County residents; the county page says the free drop-offs are for Jefferson County residents. The county page doesn’t mention businesses or proof. PaintCare’s listing adds that the events are for households only (no businesses) and that proof of Jefferson County residency is required.
- Hours
- One morning only: Saturday, Oct. 17, 2026, 8–11:30 a.m. This is a collection event, not a full-time site. Jefferson County holds these in April and October; the April 25, 2026 events in Gardendale, Irondale and Bessemer have already happened.
- Load limits
- Never taken: asbestos, explosives, medical waste, PCBs, and radioactive or unidentified materials. Tires without rims only, up to 8. PaintCare’s listing adds: no 25- or 50-gallon drums, keep everything in its original labeled container, don’t mix products, and no empty, dry or leaking paint cans.
- Fees
- Free. The Jefferson County Commission pays for the events with the county health department and the City of Bessemer.
Camp Ketona is the Birmingham site, at the county shops on County Shop Road. Sort your load by the county’s categories (paint, automotive, household, outdoor) before you go. If the weather turns bad, call 205-325-8741 to make sure the event is still on.
Jefferson County Household Hazardous Waste Day at Camp Bessemer
3295 King St, Bessemer, AL 35023
- Accepts
- The county’s paint list: paints, stains, varnishes, solvents, thinners, turpentine, removers, adhesives, epoxy fillers, resins, sealants and wallpaper cement. The county page just says “paints” and doesn’t split latex from oil-based. Aerosols, car fluids, batteries, pool and yard chemicals, large appliances and electronics are taken too. The county has recently added rinsed glass bottles and jars, #1 and #2 plastics and aluminum cans to these events.
- Who can use it
- Jefferson County residents; the county page says the free drop-offs are for Jefferson County residents. The county page doesn’t mention businesses or proof. PaintCare’s listing adds that the events are for households only (no businesses) and that proof of Jefferson County residency is required.
- Hours
- One morning only: Saturday, Oct. 17, 2026, 8–11:30 a.m., the same morning as the Camp Ketona event. Jefferson County holds these in April and October; the April 25, 2026 events have already happened.
- Load limits
- Never taken: asbestos, explosives, medical waste, PCBs, and radioactive or unidentified materials. Tires without rims only, up to 8. PaintCare’s listing adds: no 25- or 50-gallon drums, keep everything in its original labeled container, don’t mix products, and no empty, dry or leaking paint cans.
- Fees
- Free for Jefferson County residents.
This is the Bessemer site, on King Street. Both sites run the same hours, so pick the one closer to you. Call 205-325-8741 with questions.
1 paint drop-off site within 12 miles of Birmingham.
Your state doesn’t have a PaintCare program, so stores here don’t take paint for free. These are the public drop-off programs PaintCare’s map lists, closest first. Most only serve their own residents and some charge a fee. Call before you go.
Jefferson County Household Hazardous Waste Day · Camp Ketona
6 mi121 County Shop Rd, Birmingham, AL 35217
- Who
- Households Only (No Businesses) in Jefferson County
- Hours
- Saturday, October 17, 2026, 8 am -11:30 am
- Limits
- Proof of Jefferson County residency is required. Please visit the website for requested item sorting by categories.
- Products
- This site does not accept empty, dry or leaking paint containers.
- Notes
- We will not accept 25 or 50-gallon drums. Bring all substances in original containers with labels. Items must be identifiable. Do not mix materials.
Jefferson County Household Hazardous Waste Day · Camp Bessemer
14.1 mi3295 King St, Bessemer, AL 35023
- Who
- Households Only (No Businesses) in Jefferson County
- Hours
- Saturday, October 17, 2026. 8 am -11:30 am
- Limits
- Proof of Jefferson County residency is required. Please visit the website for requested item sorting by categories.
- Products
- This site does not accept empty, dry or leaking paint containers.
- Notes
- We will not accept 25 or 50-gallon drums. Bring all substances in original containers with labels. Items must be identifiable. Do not mix materials.
From PaintCare’s drop-off map ↗, updated October 6, 2026. Hours and limits are PaintCare’s. Distances are straight-line, not driving.
Which option fits your Birmingham cleanout?4
You live in Roebuck and have a dozen cans from repainting
Camp Ketona is the closer site for the north and east sides. Arrive between 8 and 11:30 a.m. on Oct. 17 with the cans boxed upright and your license handy. Paints, stains and thinners all go in the county’s paint category.
You’re hauling a cleanout to the landfill anyway
Leave the paint at home. The Eastern Area Landfill’s public pad on Alton Road takes furniture and bagged trash for free with a Jefferson County license, but not liquids or hazardous waste, so liquid paint is out. Save the paint for the county’s October or April event.
You only have one nearly empty can of latex
It isn’t worth a trip. ADEM says household waste can go in the trash if there are no free liquids: leave the lid off until it dries, or stir in cat litter or sawdust. Then bag it with your garbage.
You flip houses in Ensley and have leftover paint
PaintCare’s listing says the county events are for households only, not businesses, so business paint needs a commercial hazardous waste company. ADEM’s household rules don’t cover waste from businesses.
Birmingham rules and tips5
THE LOCAL ANSWER
Take your paint to Jefferson County’s free household hazardous waste day on Saturday, Oct. 17, 2026, 8–11:30 a.m., at Camp Ketona (121 County Shop Rd.) or Camp Bessemer (3295 King St.), with proof you live in Jefferson County. Birmingham has no year-round paint drop-off, and the Alton Road landfill pad turns paint away.
Birmingham, Alabama, has no year-round place for leftover paint. Jefferson County runs free household hazardous waste days twice a year, and the next one is Saturday, Oct. 17, 2026, at Camp Ketona and Camp Bessemer. The city’s landfill drop-off and neighborhood dumpsters don’t take paint.
Oct. 17 is the next chance
Jefferson County’s fall collection runs 8–11:30 a.m. on Saturday, Oct. 17, 2026, at Camp Ketona (121 County Shop Rd., Birmingham) and Camp Bessemer (3295 King St., Bessemer). The April 25 events in Gardendale, Irondale and Bessemer are over. The county holds these events in April and October, but no 2027 dates are posted yet.
Bring proof you live in Jefferson County
The county says its free drop-offs are for Jefferson County residents. The county page doesn’t say what proof to bring, but PaintCare’s listing for these events says proof of residency is required. A driver’s license with your Birmingham address is the simplest thing to bring.
Don’t take paint to Alton Road
The Eastern Area Landfill’s public unloading pad at 2787 Alton Rd. is free for Jefferson County residents, but it does not take liquids or hazardous waste, so liquid paint can’t go there. The city’s four district dumpsters (Ensley, Eastend, North Birmingham, Southside) also bar hazardous items.
Electronics days don’t take paint
The county’s spring and summer electronics and shredding days (like Sept. 12 at City Hall) took only electronics, TVs and paper for shredding. The county says hazardous items, paint included, are only taken at the April and October events.
Bring your recycling too
The county has added rinsed glass bottles and jars, #1 and #2 plastics and aluminum cans to its April and October events, so the Oct. 17 event takes them too. That helps, since Birmingham’s curbside recycling doesn’t take glass.
Free pickup programs and other options
Alabama has no PaintCare program, so stores don’t take paint back for free. If the paint is still good, ADEM suggests giving it to someone who can use it, like a woodworker or a local theater group. If you miss the county event and have no other option, ADEM says household waste can go in the regular trash only if there’s no free liquid left: let the paint dry with the lid off, or soak it up with cat litter or sawdust. Birmingham’s pages don’t mention dried paint in garbage carts, so call 311 if you want to be sure. Never pour paint into a storm drain.
Getting your paint ready
Keep paint in its original labeled cans with lids on tight. Don’t mix paints together. Box them upright in the trunk, and sort paint apart from car fluids and cleaners. Bring a license or other proof of Jefferson County residency. Get there early; the event ends at 11:30 a.m.
Full preparation checklist →Birmingham questions5
Where can I get rid of old paint in Birmingham, Alabama?
At Jefferson County’s household hazardous waste days. The next one is Saturday, Oct. 17, 2026, 8–11:30 a.m., at Camp Ketona and Camp Bessemer. There’s no full-time drop-off site.
Can I take paint to the Eastern Area Landfill?
Not liquid paint. The city’s public unloading area at 2787 Alton Rd. does not take liquids or hazardous waste.
Is the county event free?
Yes, for Jefferson County residents. PaintCare’s listing says to bring proof of residency.
Can a painting contractor use the county event?
No. PaintCare’s listing for the events says households only, no businesses. A contractor needs a commercial hazardous waste company.
What if I can’t make it on Oct. 17?
The county holds these in April and October; no 2027 dates are posted yet. Until then, store the paint somewhere cool and dry, or dry out small amounts of latex until there’s no liquid, which ADEM allows for household trash when there’s no other option.
Sources and how we checked8
October 12, 2026: read Jefferson County’s Electronics & Hazardous Materials page and its April 24, 2026 news post (in a browser; the county site blocks scripted requests), which list the Oct. 17, 2026 events at Camp Ketona and Camp Bessemer, the paint category and the never-accepted list. Read Birmingham’s illegal dumping page (district dumpsters and the Eastern Area Landfill’s not-accepted list) and trash schedules page, and ADEM’s household hazardous waste brochure and fact sheet. PaintCare’s locator lists both October events as non-program sites. Not confirmed: what proof of residency the county accepts, and the households-only rule (the county page only says residents; the proof rule comes from PaintCare’s listing), latex vs oil-based (the county just says “paints”), any per-household limits, and whether Birmingham garbage crews take dried latex. Could not open the county’s flyer PDF. An older city landfill fact sheet PDF found in search is now a dead link. Peer review (Oct. 12, 2026): the county did post Hurricane Isaias storm resources on Oct. 8, 2026 (a Tropical Storm Watch for the county); that notice does not mention the Oct. 17 event, so the guide only says to call if the weather turns bad. Recheck that the Oct. 17 event went ahead, and move it to past tense after that date.
Checked October 12, 2026 against these sources, not by phone. How we research.
Jefferson County: Electronics & Hazardous Materials (2026 events) ↗Jefferson County news: Remaining 2026 Household Drop-Off Events ↗City of Birmingham: illegal dumping, city dumpsters and Eastern Area Landfill ↗City of Birmingham: garbage, recycling and bulk trash schedules ↗City of Birmingham: Recycle Birmingham (curbside recycling) ↗ADEM: Household Hazardous Waste brochure (PDF) ↗ADEM fact sheet: Household Hazardous Waste, management of used oil (PDF) ↗PaintCare drop-off site locator ↗
