Drop it off free
4 free paint drop-off sites within 12 miles.
- Sherwin-WilliamsPaint store0.8 mi
- IVRMA HHW Facility El CentroHazardous waste site1.8 mi
- Sherwin-WilliamsPaint store2.9 mi
El Centro, CA Paint Disposal
Everything you need to get rid of leftover paint responsibly in El Centro.
NOW AVAILABLE IN EL CENTRO
Paint recycling pickup. Book online.
Book a pickup $89 minimum · No next-day surcharge
All drop-off locations in and near El Centro7
Start with these
IVRMA El Centro Household Hazardous Waste Facility
702 E Heil Ave, El Centro, CA 92243
- Accepts
- Wet or dried latex and oil-based paint in the original can, plus most household chemicals: thinners and strippers, aerosols, pool and garden chemicals, motor oil and filters, car and household batteries, fluorescent bulbs, sharps in a sealed container, e-waste. No medications.
- Who can use it
- Any Imperial County resident. Bring an ID and a utility bill. Businesses, landlords, apartment managers and nonprofits must use IVRMA's small-business (VSQG) program instead.
- Hours
- Saturdays, 8 a.m. to noon. Some holidays fall on weekends; IVRMA says to check its calendar for open dates. Businesses come only by appointment, Mondays or Fridays, 8 a.m. to 3 p.m.
- Load limits
- IVRMA's paint page allows up to 50 gallons of paint per resident, as long as the site can take it. PaintCare's listing says 15 gallons per visit. Call before bringing more than 15.
- Fees
- Free for Imperial County residents. Businesses pay; prices depend on the material and container. PaintCare's listing gives a $24.95 admin fee for the business program.
IVRMA's online event posts we could read stop in May 2026, so they don't show which upcoming Saturdays are closed for holidays. Call 877-732-9253 or 760-337-4537 before a holiday weekend. Businesses must email an inventory sheet and get an appointment first.
IVRMA: Household Hazardous Waste Program (three sites, ID and utility bill) ↗IVRMA: PaintCare Program (wet and dry paint, 50 gallons per resident) ↗IVRMA: Very Small Quantity Generators program (businesses) ↗IVRMA: Frequently Asked Questions (paint, landfills, haulers) ↗PaintCare drop-off site locator ↗
Sherwin-Williams, El Centro (S 4th St)
1950 S 4th St, El Centro, CA 92243
- Accepts
- Labeled latex and oil-based house paint, stain and varnish in cans up to 5 gallons. No spray paint, leaking cans, unlabeled cans or empties (PaintCare).
- Who can use it
- California households and businesses (PaintCare).
- Hours
- IVRMA lists 6:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. PaintCare says paint is taken during business hours and to call first.
- Load limits
- 20 gallons per visit (PaintCare).
- Fees
- Free (PaintCare).
IVRMA's FAQ names this store as one of two local retailers that take used paint and lists it as "#1950 4th". The 20-gallon limit and the product rules come only from PaintCare's list. Use it on days the Heil Avenue site is closed, but call first; IVRMA lists hours without days.
Sherwin-Williams, Imperial (Marshall Rd)
2413 Marshall Rd, Imperial, CA 92251
- Accepts
- Labeled latex and oil-based house paint, stain and varnish in cans up to 5 gallons. No spray paint, leaking cans, unlabeled cans or empties (PaintCare).
- Who can use it
- California households and businesses (PaintCare).
- Hours
- IVRMA lists 6:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. Call first.
- Load limits
- 20 gallons per visit (PaintCare).
- Fees
- Free (PaintCare).
IVRMA's FAQ writes the street as "Marshall Ave."; PaintCare lists 2413 Marshall Rd. The 20-gallon limit comes only from PaintCare.
4 PaintCare drop-off sites within 12 miles of El Centro.
2 paint stores and 3 hazardous waste sites, closest first. Paint stores take house paint, stain and varnish, usually up to a set amount per visit. Hazardous waste sites also take chemicals like thinner, but some only serve local residents. Call before you go.
Rules most stores here share
Who: Households and Businesses in California
Hours: Paint is accepted during regular business hours. Call ahead for hours and to make sure the store can accept the amount and type of paint you would like to recycle.
Products: This site accepts latex and oil-based house paint, stains and varnish in containers up to 5 gallons in size. This site does not accept aerosols (spray paint or other spray products), containers without original labels, or containers that are leaking or empty.
Each listing below shows only what’s different, plus its limit.
Sherwin-Williams
0.8 mi1950 S 4th St, El Centro, CA 92243
- Limits
- Limit: 20 gallons per visit.
IVRMA HHW Facility El Centro
1.8 mi702 E Heil Ave, El Centro, CA 92243
- Who
- Households and VSQG Businesses in Imperial County
- Hours
- Every Saturday 8 am -12 pm for residents VSQG Program Monday and Friday by appointment Only 8am - 3 pm (admin fee $24.95)
- Limits
- Limit: 15 gallons per visit.
- Products
- This site accepts latex and oil-based house paint, stains and varnish in containers up to 5 gallons in size. This site also takes most other household hazardous waste -- contact the site for details and restrictions. Please do not bring empty, leaking or unlabeled containers. SOME BUSINESSES may use this program by appointment or on special days. Contact the program for details if your paint (or other hazardous waste) is from a business.
Sherwin-Williams
2.9 mi2413 Marshall Rd, Imperial, CA 92251
- Limits
- Limit: 20 gallons per visit.
IVRMA HHW Facility Calexico
8.7 mi500 W 5th St, Calexico, CA 92231
- Who
- Households Only (No Businesses) in Imperial County
- Hours
- Every other Sunday 8-12 pm
- Limits
- Limit: 15 gallons per visit.
- Products
- This site accepts latex and oil-based house paint, stains and varnish in containers up to 5 gallons in size. This site also takes most other household hazardous waste -- contact the site for details and restrictions. Please do not bring empty, leaking or unlabeled containers.
IVRMA HHW Facility Brawley
13.3 mi180 S Western Ave, Brawley, CA 92227
- Who
- Households Only (No Businesses) in Imperial County
- Hours
- Every other Sunday 8-12 pm
- Limits
- Limit: 15 gallons per visit.
- Products
- This site accepts latex and oil-based house paint, stains and varnish in containers up to 5 gallons in size. This site also takes most other household hazardous waste -- contact the site for details and restrictions. Please do not bring empty, leaking or unlabeled containers.
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 El Centro cleanout?4
Twelve gallons of old wall paint, some dried hard
Take all of it to 702 E Heil Ave on a Saturday morning with your ID and a utility bill. IVRMA takes dried paint as long as it's still in the original can.
You work Saturdays
Take labeled house paint to Sherwin-Williams on South 4th Street or on Marshall Road in Imperial, up to 20 gallons a visit under PaintCare's listing. For spray cans and thinner, try an every-other-Sunday opening in Brawley or Calexico.
An 80-year-old neighbor with a garage full of chemicals
Apply for IVRMA's curbside hazardous waste pickup at 760-337-4537. You'll need a photo ID and a utility bill for the pickup address. Approval comes by letter after at least 14 days, and items go at the curb on the scheduled day. Ask about paint, since the item list doesn't name it.
A landlord clearing out units between tenants
Landlords and apartment managers count as small businesses to IVRMA and pay fees. Get an EPA ID number, send in the inventory sheet and book a Monday or Friday drop-off. For 100 gallons or more, ask PaintCare for a free pickup instead.
El Centro rules and tips5
THE LOCAL ANSWER
Take paint and household chemicals to IVRMA's site at 702 E Heil Ave on a Saturday, 8 a.m. to noon, with your ID and a utility bill. It's free for Imperial County residents and takes wet or dried paint in the original can. On other days, Sherwin-Williams at 1950 S 4th St takes labeled house paint; PaintCare's limit there is 20 gallons a visit.
El Centro is the Imperial County seat, and paint here goes through the Imperial Valley Resource Management Agency (IVRMA), not the city. IVRMA's El Centro site on East Heil Avenue opens every Saturday morning, free for any Imperial County resident who brings an ID and a utility bill. On other days, two Sherwin-Williams stores (South 4th Street in El Centro and Marshall Road in Imperial) take paint; IVRMA names both, and PaintCare lists both.
Saturday is Heil Avenue day
IVRMA's El Centro site at 702 E Heil Ave is open Saturdays, 8 a.m. to noon. It's the only one of IVRMA's three sites open every week; Brawley (180 S Western Ave) and Calexico (500 W 5th St) open every other Sunday. Some holidays close a weekend, so check IVRMA's calendar or call 877-732-9253 before a holiday weekend.
Bring a utility bill, not just an ID
IVRMA asks every resident for an ID and a utility bill to prove they live in Imperial County. That covers El Centro, Imperial, Heber, Seeley, Holtville, Brawley, Calexico and the rest of the county.
Dried paint goes here too
IVRMA says its sites now take wet and dry paint, as long as it's in the original can. IVRMA's paint page says each resident can drop off up to 50 gallons, as long as the site can take it. PaintCare's listing for Heil Avenue says 15 gallons per visit. The two don't match, so call IVRMA at 760-337-4537 before you bring more than 15 gallons.
Other days: two Sherwin-Williams stores
IVRMA's FAQ names two local stores that take used paint: Sherwin-Williams at 1950 S 4th St in El Centro and at 2413 Marshall Rd in Imperial. PaintCare lists both at 20 gallons per visit for labeled house paint, stain and varnish. PaintCare says they don't take spray cans, and thinner isn't on their list; save those for Saturday.
Not in the trash, not at the CR&R drop-off
IVRMA says household hazardous waste can't go to landfills. El Centro's free Saturday trash drop-off at CR&R and its bulky-item pickup are for regular trash; the city says it doesn't pick up hazardous waste. If you're 65 or older or can't haul chemicals, apply for IVRMA's curbside hazardous waste pickup at 760-337-4537. Its item list doesn't name paint, so ask.
Free pickup programs and other options
Brawley's site (180 S Western Ave) and Calexico's site (500 W 5th St) take the same household waste every other Sunday, 8 a.m. to noon; PaintCare lists them for households only. IVRMA also takes paint at community clean-up events, which it says run twice a year in each city, and El Centro's is usually held at the CR&R site. Painting contractors, landlords and property managers with 100 gallons or more can ask PaintCare for a free large-volume pickup.
Getting your paint ready
Keep paint in the original can with the label showing; IVRMA takes dried paint only in its original container. Put your ID and a current utility bill in the car. Pack spray cans, thinner and other chemicals in a separate box for the Heil Avenue site, since the stores won't take them. Empty, dry cans with the lid off can go in the trash.
Full preparation checklist →El Centro questions5
Where can I drop off paint in El Centro?
At IVRMA's site, 702 E Heil Ave, on Saturdays from 8 a.m. to noon, free for Imperial County residents with an ID and a utility bill. On other days, Sherwin-Williams at 1950 S 4th St takes labeled house paint; PaintCare's limit there is 20 gallons a visit.
Does IVRMA take dried-out paint?
Yes. IVRMA says its sites take wet and dry paint, as long as it's in the original container.
Can I put paint out with El Centro's bulky-item pickup?
No. The city says it doesn't pick up hazardous waste and sends residents to IVRMA at 877-732-9253.
I live in Heber, Seeley or Holtville. Where do I go?
The same places. IVRMA's three sites are open to every Imperial County resident, so the Heil Avenue site in El Centro works for you on Saturdays. The two Sherwin-Williams stores take paint from any California household.
How does a business get rid of paint in Imperial County?
Through IVRMA's small-business (VSQG) program. You need an EPA ID number, then you email an inventory sheet to administration@ivrma.org and get an appointment at the El Centro site on a Monday or Friday. It isn't free. PaintCare lists the two Sherwin-Williams stores for businesses too, at up to 20 gallons of house paint a visit.
Sources and how we checked12
October 16, 2026 review; independent fact-check October 17, 2026. Read: IVRMA's household hazardous waste, PaintCare program, FAQ, VSQG, curbside pickup and news pages, plus its 2023 business flyer; City of El Centro's HHW events and special services pages; an Imperial Valley Press report on CR&R's drop-off hours; PaintCare's California page and locator data. Conflicts left open: IVRMA's 50-gallon-per-resident rule vs PaintCare's 15 gallons per visit; the CR&R site, which the city lists at 599 E Main St (Saturdays 7 a.m. to noon), IVRMA's FAQ at 599 East Main Street (Saturdays 8 a.m. to noon) and the news report at 399 S Main St (Saturdays 6 a.m. to noon). The HHW page's "see attached flyer" link is empty, so the accepted-items list comes from IVRMA's FAQ and 2023 business flyer. IVRMA's live calendar wouldn't load; the posts we could read end with May 2026, so we found no upcoming clean-up date. The Sherwin-Williams 20-gallon limits come only from PaintCare. No store or site was phoned or visited.
Checked October 16, 2026 against these sources, not by phone. How we research.
IVRMA: Household Hazardous Waste Program (three sites, ID and utility bill) ↗IVRMA: PaintCare Program (wet and dry paint, 50 gallons per resident) ↗IVRMA: Frequently Asked Questions (paint, landfills, haulers) ↗IVRMA: Very Small Quantity Generators program (businesses) ↗IVRMA: Hazardous Waste Curbside Pick Up Program (65+ or limited mobility) ↗IVRMA: event and open-date posts ↗City of El Centro: HHW & E-Waste Recycling Events ↗City of El Centro: Refuse & Recycling Special Services ↗Imperial Valley Press: El Centro expands residential waste services (Sept. 13, 2025) ↗PaintCare drop-off site locator ↗PaintCare California ↗PaintCare free large-volume pickup (100+ gallons) ↗
