Drop it off
Where Mobile residents can take paint:
- City of Mobile Household Hazardous Waste Collection Event (James Seals Community Center)540 Texas St, Mobile, AL 36603
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All drop-off locations in and near Mobile1
Start with these
City of Mobile Household Hazardous Waste Collection Event (James Seals Community Center)
540 Texas St, Mobile, AL 36603
- Accepts
- Oil-based and latex paint, plus solvents, varnishes, epoxies, aerosols, car fluids, batteries, fluorescent tubes, cleaners, pool chemicals, yard chemicals, fire extinguishers, flammables, mercury items, and small camp-style and BBQ propane tanks.
- Who can use it
- City of Mobile residents and individuals only. No contractors or businesses. For the Oct. 2025 and April 2026 events, the city said staff would check ZIP codes to make sure people live inside city limits.
- Hours
- Event days only, 9 a.m.–1 p.m. In 2026 the city held events on Saturday, April 11 and Saturday, Sept. 26; both have already happened. No more 2026 dates were posted as of Oct. 12, 2026. The city says it plans at least one event a year, more if the budget allows.
- Load limits
- At the Sept. 26, 2026 event, paint was limited to 15 gallons. Not taken: tires, explosives, firearms and other weapons, medicines, medical waste, appliances, lawn equipment, electronics, asbestos, gas cylinders, radioactive material and unidentified containers.
- Fees
- Free. No registration.
There is no year-round hazardous waste site in the city. Watch the city’s hazardous waste page or call Environmental Engineering at 251-208-7151 for the next date.
Which option fits your Mobile cleanout?4
You have three half-gallon cans of latex in the garage
Mix each one with an equal amount of QuikCrete, let it set, close the lid and put the cans in your brown garbage can. Sand or cat litter works too, but takes longer.
You’re cleaning out oil-based stain and thinner
These are better saved for the city’s next collection day. The Sept. 26, 2026 event took solvents, varnishes and up to 15 gallons of paint. Call 251-208-7151 to ask when the next event is.
You’re putting out a big trash pile after a move
Pull any paint and stain out first. If they’re in the pile, the city won’t pick up any of it. Don’t put the pile out more than 48 hours before pickup day, or you risk a $532 fine.
You live in Theodore, outside city limits
The city events are for Mobile residents only, and the county’s Clean Sweep doesn’t take liquid paint. Drying latex for the trash is your main option; call Mobile County Environmental Enforcement at 251-574-7867 to ask about anything else.
Mobile rules and tips5
THE LOCAL ANSWER
Mix leftover paint with equal parts QuikCrete (or sand or cat litter), let it dry, put the lid on and put the can in your brown garbage can, as the City of Mobile directs. Never put paint on a trash pile. Mobile’s 2026 hazardous waste days (April 11 and Sept. 26) are over, and no new date was posted as of Oct. 12, 2026.
Mobile, Alabama, has no year-round hazardous waste site. The city holds free collection days at the James Seals Community Center on Texas Street, and both 2026 events (April 11 and Sept. 26) have already passed. Between events, the city tells you to dry paint out and put it in your brown garbage can.
Dry it with QuikCrete
The city’s trash rules say the fastest way is to mix equal parts fast-setting concrete (QuikCrete) and leftover paint in the can. Sand or cat litter works the same way but slower. Once it’s dry, put the lid back on and put the can in your brown garbage can.
Never put paint on the trash pile
Mobile’s rules ban paint and stain from curbside trash piles. If they’re in it, crews won’t pick up any of the pile. The city also fines people $532 for putting a pile out more than 48 hours early or dumping trash on vacant lots or medians.
Watch for the next collection day
The city has run these events since 2022 and plans at least one a year. In 2026 they were April 11 and Sept. 26, 9 a.m.–1 p.m., at 540 Texas St. Call Environmental Engineering at 251-208-7151 to ask about the next one.
City residents only, 15-gallon limit
The events are for City of Mobile residents. At the Sept. 26, 2026 event, the limit was 15 gallons of oil or latex paint. For the Oct. 2025 and April 2026 events, the city said staff would check ZIP codes to make sure people lived inside city limits.
County Clean Sweep won’t take paint
Mobile County’s Operation Clean Sweep days take appliances, electronics, household items and yard debris, but not liquid paint or hazardous waste.
Free pickup programs and other options
Alabama has no PaintCare program, so stores don’t take paint back for free. The city suggests using up leftover paint on a stump or scrap wood. ADEM suggests giving good paint to a woodworker or theater group. Otherwise, dry it out in the can (QuikCrete, sand or cat litter) and put it in your brown garbage can, as the city says.
Getting your paint ready
For an event, keep paint in its original cans with tight lids (the last limit was 15 gallons), and bring something that shows your city address. For drying at home, stir in the QuikCrete, sand or litter until no liquid is left, and keep the cans out of reach of kids and pets while they set.
Full preparation checklist →Mobile questions5
Can I throw away paint in Mobile?
Yes, once it’s solid. Mix it with QuikCrete, sand or cat litter, let it dry, put the lid on and put the can in your brown garbage can. Don’t put it on a trash pile.
When is the next hazardous waste day in Mobile?
No date was posted as of Oct. 12, 2026. Both 2026 events (April 11 and Sept. 26) are over. Call 251-208-7151 or check the city’s hazardous waste page.
How much paint can I bring to a collection event?
At the Sept. 26, 2026 event, the limit was 15 gallons of oil or latex paint. Check the city’s page for the next event’s rules.
I live outside city limits in Mobile County. Can I go?
No. The city events are for City of Mobile residents only, and the city has said staff would check ZIP codes.
Can my painting business use the event?
No. Contractors and businesses can’t drop off at the city’s events.
Sources and how we checked9
October 12, 2026: read the City of Mobile Household Hazardous Waste page (in a browser; it describes the Sept. 26, 2026 event, the 15-gallon paint limit and the accepted and not-accepted lists), the Trash Collection Rules page (QuikCrete drying, trash pile ban, $532 fine), the Environmental Services FAQ (air-dry or add sand or kitty litter; at least one event a year), the city’s Sept. 2025 news post and FOX10’s March 2026 story (ZIP code checks), Mobile County’s April 11, 2026 event listing and its Operation Clean Sweep page (no liquid paint or hazardous waste), and ADEM’s household hazardous waste brochure. PaintCare’s locator lists no Mobile sites. Not found: any year-round paint drop-off for households in Mobile or Mobile County, or any 2027 event date. The current 2026 page doesn’t repeat the ZIP code check; it came from the 2025 and spring 2026 announcements. Peer review (Oct. 12, 2026): the $532 fine on the rules page is for early pile placement, littering and illegal dumping, not for paint in a pile, so the guide now says that. Recheck the city page for a new date.
Checked October 12, 2026 against these sources, not by phone. How we research.
City of Mobile: Household Hazardous Waste Collection ↗City of Mobile: Trash Collection Rules ↗City of Mobile: Environmental Services (paint FAQ) ↗City of Mobile news: Oct. 11, 2025 collection event ↗FOX10: Mobile will host hazardous household waste collection event April 11 (2026) ↗Mobile County calendar: Household Hazardous Waste Collection Event, April 11, 2026 ↗Mobile County: Operation Clean Sweep ↗ADEM: Household Hazardous Waste brochure (PDF) ↗PaintCare drop-off site locator ↗
