Drop it off free
12 free paint drop-off sites within 12 miles.
- Dunn-EdwardsPaint store0.3 mi
- Sherwin-WilliamsPaint store0.7 mi
- Miners Ace HardwarePaint store0.8 mi
San Luis Obispo, CA Paint Disposal
Everything you need to get rid of leftover paint responsibly in San Luis Obispo.
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All drop-off locations in and near San Luis Obispo14
Start with these
Cold Canyon Household Hazardous Waste Facility
2268 Carpenter Canyon Road, San Luis Obispo, CA 93401
- Accepts
- Household paint and other hazardous waste the county program takes.
- Who can use it
- San Luis Obispo County residents. Businesses need approval from IWMA's very small business program.
- Hours
- Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, Friday and Saturday, 8 a.m.–3 p.m. Closed Wednesday and Sunday, and in 2026 on November 26 and December 25.
- Load limits
- Households: 15 gallons or 125 pounds. Ask about unusual containers first.
- Fees
- Free for SLO County households. Business approval and charges are separate.
Landfill hours aren't hazardous waste hours, and other county sites may have different holidays.
Dunn-Edwards — San Luis Obispo
205 Higuera Street, San Luis Obispo, CA 93401
- Accepts
- Latex or oil house paint, primer, stain, varnish.
- Who can use it
- Homes and businesses; oil-based business paint needs PaintCare's OK.
- Hours
- Monday–Friday 6 a.m.–5 p.m. Closed weekends.
- Load limits
- No posted limit; ask before a big load. Cans 5 gallons max, sound and labeled.
- Fees
- Free for PaintCare products.
No spray paint, thinner or washwater. Call about room; open hours aren't a promise of space.
12 PaintCare drop-off sites within 12 miles of San Luis Obispo.
11 paint stores and 1 hazardous waste site, 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.
Dunn-Edwards
0.3 mi205 Higuera St, San Luis Obispo, CA 93401
- Limits
- Limit: 20 gallons per visit.
Sherwin-Williams
0.7 mi3281 S Higuera St, San Luis Obispo, CA 93401
- Limits
- Limit: 20 gallons per visit.
Miners Ace Hardware
0.8 mi2034 Santa Barbara Rd, San Luis Obispo, CA 93401
- Limits
- Limit: 5 gallons per visit.
Habitat ReStore San Luis Obispo County
0.9 mi2790 Broad St, San Luis Obispo, CA 93401
- Who
- Households and VSQG Businesses in California
- Limits
- Limit: 10 gallons per visit.
Home Depot
1.6 mi1551 Froom Ranch Way, San Luis Obispo, CA 93405
- Limits
- Limit: 5 gallons per visit.
Cold Canyon Landfill HHW Facility
6.7 mi2268 Carpenter Canyon Rd, San Luis Obispo, CA 93401
- Who
- HHW and VSQG Businesses in San Luis Obispo County
- Hours
- Friday and Saturday 11 am - 3 pm.Households and businesses visit https://iwma.com/what-to-do/hhw/
- Limits
- Limit: 27 gallons per visit. Business that are eligible to use the program must submit a form online to set up an appointment and pay applicable fees.
- 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.
Miners Ace Hardware
9.7 mi1080 Los Osos Valley Rd, Los Osos, CA 93402
- Limits
- Limit: 5 gallons per visit.
Outdoor Supply Hardware
9.8 mi825 Oak Park Blvd, Pismo Beach, CA 93449
- Limits
- Limit: 10 gallons per visit.
Show 4 more sites
Walmart
10.3 mi1168 W Branch St, Arroyo Grande, CA 93420
- Limits
- Limit: 5 gallons per visit.
Miners Ace Hardware
10.4 mi1056 W Grand Ave, Grover Beach, CA 93433
- Limits
- Limit: 5 gallons per visit.
Sherwin-Williams
10.5 mi1675 W Grand Ave, Grover Beach, CA 93433
- Limits
- Limit: 20 gallons per visit.
Miners Ace Hardware
11.2 mi186 Station Way, Arroyo Grande, CA 93420
- Limits
- Limit: 5 gallons per visit.
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 San Luis Obispo cleanout?4
Paint and several garage chemicals
Use the county household program and stay within the household limit. The city says county sites are free for residents; landfill fees are separate.
A Wednesday paint cleanup that can't wait
Call Dunn-Edwards on Higuera about room and describe your cans. It helps while Cold Canyon is closed, but it posts no gallon limit, and a half-empty bin isn't unlimited.
A small business with paint or hazardous waste
Start with IWMA's very small business application and a waste list. Approval, any invoice and payment come before your appointment, so bring the paperwork. The program checks monthly waste around 220 pounds or 27 gallons; one small load doesn't prove you qualify.
A Saturday trip
Cold Canyon is open Saturday; the Higuera store isn't. Know what counts as household hazardous waste before combining the trip with a landfill run, and follow the hazardous waste signs.
San Luis Obispo rules and tips2
THE LOCAL ANSWER
For paint plus chemicals, Cold Canyon is open Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, Friday and Saturday, 8 a.m.–3 p.m. Dunn-Edwards on Higuera takes PaintCare paint on weekdays, including Wednesday.
San Luis Obispo's two options cover different days: Cold Canyon closes Wednesday, and the Higuera Street paint store closes weekends.
Wednesday needs a different plan
Cold Canyon is closed Wednesday. Paint can still go to the store that day, but solvents and other items must wait for a county hazardous waste site to open.
Check this site's holidays
IWMA lists 2026 closures per site. Cold Canyon's remaining ones include Thanksgiving and Christmas Day. Another site's longer shutdown doesn't apply here.
Free pickup programs and other options
If Cold Canyon's hours don't work, check IWMA's live list for another county site. For 100 gallons of paint, request a PaintCare pickup. Neither takes construction debris, and paint stores refuse spray cans.
Getting your paint ready
Sort paint from spray cans, thinner and debris. Keep paint in sound, labeled cans with lids tight. Businesses list their waste and get approval before loading. Households should mention unusual or oversized containers ahead of time.
Full preparation checklist →San Luis Obispo questions3
Do I pay the landfill fee just to recycle paint?
No. The city says household hazardous waste drop-off at county sites is free. Keep it apart from a paid trash load.
Can my business bring household-size amounts?
No. Use IWMA's business approval or a PaintCare store if you qualify. Small amounts don't make business waste household waste.
Who can tell me if my business qualifies?
IWMA lists county Environmental Health at 805-781-5544 and the program at 805-781-2192. Prices come through the approval process.
Sources and how we checked8
Hours, 2026 closures, free household service and the store listing were checked separately. Business prices and a store limit weren't found.
Checked October 4, 2026 against these sources, not by phone. How we research.
