Everything you need to get rid of leftover paint responsibly in Anchorage.
1310 E 56th Ave (residential entrance), Anchorage, AK 99518
Visit the Reuse Paint & Materials Exchange while you’re there. Staff check what people drop off and shelve usable products for the public to take free; SWS says it takes in 50 to 100 gallons of paint a week, and its facilities page says Anchorage residents can take up to 40 pounds. Getting there: SWS says some map apps are wrong. Go east on International Road, turn right on Homer Drive, turn right on E. 56th Ave., then take the first left. The hazardous waste page lists the station at 1208 E. 56th Ave., but SWS’s facilities page gives 1310 E. 56th Ave. as the residential entrance, and its holiday calendar lists 1208 as the administration building. Cover and tie down your load; SWS charges $30–$60 for uncovered loads. General questions: SWS customer care, 907-343-6250.
15500 E Eagle River Loop Rd, Eagle River, AK 99577
It also has a Reuse Paint & Materials Exchange, open during hazardous waste hours. Closer than 56th Avenue if you live in Eagle River or Chugiak.
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.
15500 E Eagle River Loop Rd, Eagle River, AK 99577
1208 E 56th Ave, Anchorage, AK 99518
1201 N 49th State St, Palmer, AK 99645
From PaintCare’s drop-off map ↗, updated October 6, 2026. Hours and limits are PaintCare’s. Distances are straight-line, not driving.
Leave the lids off until the paint is hard, or mix it 50/50 with kitty litter. Then it goes out with your household trash. No trip needed.
Both are household hazardous waste in Anchorage. Load up to 5 gallons or 40 pounds and drive to 56th Avenue any day but Sunday, or to Eagle River Tuesday through Saturday.
Alaska DEC says paint can’t be used once it freezes, and freezing can split cans. Latex you can’t use gets dried for the trash. Put a leaking oil-based can inside a sturdier container and take it to an SWS drop-off.
Free drop-off covers 40 pounds or less, and the 2026 rate sheet lists per-pound paint charges. Split the job into more than one trip, or call 907-201-8472 to ask about cost or the call-in pickup.
If your business makes less than 220 pounds of hazardous waste a month, use the Anchorage Regional Landfill only, not 56th Avenue. Expect about $0.50 to $1.00 a pound.
Dry latex paint (leave the lid off, or mix it half and half with kitty litter) and put it in your trash. Take oil-based and spray paint to the Central Transfer Station on E. 56th Ave. (residential entrance at 1310; Monday–Saturday) or the Anchorage Regional Landfill in Eagle River (Tuesday–Saturday). It’s free for Anchorage residents up to 40 pounds.
In Anchorage, Alaska, dry out latex paint and put it in the trash. Bring oil-based and spray paint to the Municipality of Anchorage’s free household hazardous waste drop-off at the Central Transfer Station on East 56th Avenue or the Anchorage Regional Landfill in Eagle River. Drop-off is free for Anchorage residents up to 40 pounds.
Solid Waste Services says latex isn’t hazardous waste but must be dry before it goes in the trash. Small amounts: leave the lid off. Larger amounts: mix 50% paint with 50% kitty litter and let it harden, or use a paint hardener from a hardware store.
The Central Transfer Station takes household hazardous waste Monday–Saturday, 8 to 4:30. The Anchorage Regional Landfill takes it Tuesday–Saturday, 8 to 5. Both are closed Sunday.
Paints, solvents and preservatives are limited to 5 gallons or 40 pounds, and free drop-off is for 40 pounds or less. SWS doesn’t say whether that limit is per trip or per day. If you have more, call 907-201-8472 first and ask about the cost.
Both sites run a Reuse Paint & Materials Exchange. SWS gets 50 to 100 gallons of paint a week, and usable cans go on the shelf for the public to take free, sometimes unopened. SWS’s facilities page says Anchorage residents can take up to 40 pounds.
SWS says a hazardous waste pickup is available on a call-in basis. Call 907-201-8472 to ask who can use it and what it costs.
Alaska has no PaintCare program, so stores won’t take paint back. Give good paint to a neighbor or group, or bring it to the Reuse Exchange. Alaska DEC notes that paint is no longer usable once it freezes, so keep cans you want to reuse out of an unheated garage or shed in winter. Latex you can’t use gets dried and trashed under the SWS rule, frozen or not.
Keep paint in the original labeled can with the lid tight, and don’t mix products. Stay under 5 gallons or 40 pounds. Cover and secure your load; SWS charges $30–$60 for uncovered loads. Free drop-off is for Anchorage residents only. SWS doesn’t say what proof it checks, so bring something that shows your Anchorage address.
Full preparation checklist →Yes, for Anchorage residents bringing 40 pounds or less of household hazardous waste to the Central Transfer Station or the Anchorage Regional Landfill.
SWS says latex isn’t hazardous waste and should be dried and put in the trash. Bring it in only if it’s good enough to donate, and ask staff about the Reuse Exchange.
The Anchorage Regional Landfill at 15500 E. Eagle River Loop Road takes household hazardous waste Tuesday–Saturday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.
No. Free drop-off is for Anchorage residents only. PaintCare’s locator lists a Mat-Su Borough hazardous waste building at the Central Landfill, 1201 N. 49th State St., Palmer, phone 907-861-7600. That listing is from PaintCare, so check with the borough before you go.
SWS’s holiday calendar says its facilities close at 2 p.m. on Thanksgiving Day, Christmas Eve and New Year’s Eve, and are closed Christmas Day and New Year’s Day. The day after Thanksgiving is listed as open.
October 13, 2026: read the Municipality of Anchorage SWS household hazardous waste page, its paint disposal flier (2022), its disposal and hours page, its 2026 rate sheet, its holiday calendar and its FAQ; Alaska DEC’s October 2025 rural solid waste guide section on household hazardous waste; and PaintCare’s program states list and locator listings for Anchorage. Address: the hazardous waste page and PaintCare give 1208 E. 56th Ave., but SWS’s facilities page gives 1310 E. 56th Ave. as the residential entrance (with directions, warning that some map apps are wrong), and the holiday calendar lists the station at 1310 and 1208 as the administration building. We use 1310 for driving and mention 1208. Unresolved: the SWS FAQ still says the Central Transfer Station takes hazardous waste three days a week, but the newer hazardous waste page and facilities page say Monday–Saturday, which we use. The rate sheet lists per-pound paint charges but doesn’t say when a household pays them. SWS doesn’t say what proof of residency it checks, whether the 5-gallon/40-pound limit is per trip or per day, or who can use the call-in pickup. The FAQ’s older hazardous waste number (907-343-6262) differs from the current page’s 907-201-8472; PaintCare lists 907-343-6250 or 907-428-1742. We use 907-201-8472 from the hazardous waste page. We found no published paint policy for the Anchorage Habitat ReStore. The Mat-Su address and phone come from PaintCare’s locator listing.
Checked October 13, 2026 against these sources, not by phone. How we research.
