Drop it off free
2 free paint drop-off sites within 12 miles.
- Sherwin-WilliamsPaint store0.4 mi
- Fullmers Ace HardwarePaint store0.7 mi
Gunnison, CO Paint Disposal
Everything you need to get rid of leftover paint responsibly in Gunnison.
NOW AVAILABLE IN GUNNISON
Paint recycling pickup. Book online.
Book a pickup $89 minimum · No next-day surcharge
All drop-off locations in and near Gunnison5
Start with these
Fullmers Ace Hardware (PaintCare drop-off on West Tomichi Ave)
820 W Tomichi Ave, Gunnison, CO 81230
- Accepts
- Latex and oil-based house paint, stain and varnish in containers of 5 gallons or less (PaintCare listing). No spray cans, unlabeled, leaking or empty containers.
- Who can use it
- Households and businesses (PaintCare listing).
- Hours
- During store hours. Call ahead to check hours and that they can take your paint.
- Load limits
- 5 gallons per visit (PaintCare listing).
- Fees
- Free.
Fullmers is on Highway 50 (Tomichi Ave) on the west side of town. Gunnison County’s landfill won’t take liquid paint, so a store like this is the everyday option for the whole valley, including Crested Butte, which has no PaintCare site in PaintCare’s data.
Sherwin-Williams (PaintCare drop-off on North Main St)
821 N Main St, Gunnison, CO 81230
- Accepts
- Latex and oil-based house paint, stain and varnish in containers of 5 gallons or less (PaintCare listing). No spray cans, unlabeled, leaking or empty containers.
- Who can use it
- Households and businesses (PaintCare listing).
- Hours
- During store hours. Call ahead to check hours and that they can take your paint.
- Load limits
- 5 gallons per visit (PaintCare listing).
- Fees
- Free.
On Highway 135 (Main St) on the north side, the way you come in from Crested Butte. Using both Gunnison stores lets you drop 10 gallons in one trip. Call first.
Gunnison County All Hazards Household Waste Collection Day (Public Works, 195 Basin Park Dr)
195 Basin Park Dr, Gunnison, CO 81230
- Accepts
- At the 2025 event: paint and spray paint, plus acids, antifreeze, car batteries, caustics, cleaners, fertilizers, flammable liquids, oil and pesticides. No electronics.
- Who can use it
- Gunnison County residents (2025 flyer).
- Hours
- Event only, not a year-round site. The last event we found ran April 25 and 26, 2025, 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. both days. We found no 2026 date.
- Load limits
- No limit published on the 2025 flyer.
- Fees
- In 2025, paint and vape pens were free. Other items cost $2.00 per gallon or pound ($2.00 minimum).
The 2025 flyer lists the sponsors as Gunnison County, the City of Gunnison, the Town of Crested Butte, CB South Metro District, the Town of Mt. Crested Butte and the Upper Gunnison River Water Conservancy District. The site is the Public Works building next to the county Recycling Center. Call Public Works (weekdays, 7 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. and 1:30 to 4:30 p.m.) to ask about the next date before you save up spray cans.
2 PaintCare drop-off sites within 12 miles of Gunnison.
2 paint stores and 0 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 Colorado
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
0.4 mi821 N Main St, Gunnison, CO 81230
- Limits
- Limit: 5 gallons per visit.
Fullmers Ace Hardware
0.7 mi820 W Tomichi Ave, Gunnison, CO 81230
- 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 Gunnison cleanout?4
Eight gallons left after re-painting a cabin
Split it: 5 gallons at one store, 3 at the other. Fullmers is on Tomichi Avenue and Sherwin-Williams is on North Main, so it’s one loop through town. Call both first.
You live in Crested Butte
There’s no PaintCare site up valley in PaintCare’s data. Bring house paint to Sherwin-Williams on North Main, which is the first store you reach coming down Highway 135. Hold spray cans for the county collection day.
Spray cans and a jug of thinner from the shop
The landfill lists paint thinner as not accepted and stores don’t take aerosols. Store them safely and call Public Works at 970-641-0044 for the next All Hazards day. In 2025 that event charged $2 per gallon or pound for items other than paint and vape pens. If you can’t wait, the state lists Clean Harbors in Henderson as open to all Colorado residents.
A property manager clearing 120 gallons from rentals
That’s over PaintCare’s 100-gallon line for a free large-volume pickup, which is far easier than 24 store trips. Request it through PaintCare’s Colorado page.
Gunnison rules and tips6
THE LOCAL ANSWER
Take leftover house paint, stain and varnish to Fullmers Ace on West Tomichi Avenue or Sherwin-Williams on North Main Street in Gunnison, up to 5 gallons per store per visit. The Gunnison County landfill won’t take liquid paint. Spray paint and thinner wait for the county’s All Hazards collection day; the last one we found was in April 2025.
In Gunnison, Colorado, take leftover house paint to one of the two PaintCare stores in town: Fullmers Ace on West Tomichi Avenue or Sherwin-Williams on North Main Street. The Gunnison County landfill won’t take liquid paint. Spray paint and thinner wait for the county’s All Hazards collection day, which last ran in April 2025; we found no 2026 date.
The landfill says no to liquid paint
Gunnison County says its landfill can’t take anything in liquid form. Its list names paint, paint stripper, paint thinner, turpentine, varnish and artist oils. Acrylics are on the list too, “unless dried.” Don’t put cans of wet paint in your trash or in a roll-off.
Two stores, one on each highway
PaintCare’s data lists Fullmers Ace Hardware at 820 W Tomichi Ave (Highway 50) and Sherwin-Williams at 821 N Main St (Highway 135). Each takes 5 gallons per visit, so you can drop 10 gallons in one trip by stopping at both.
Crested Butte, Mt. Crested Butte and CB South
PaintCare’s data shows no drop-off site in the Crested Butte area. The closest are the two Gunnison stores. The county’s collection day is open to all Gunnison County residents, and the Town of Crested Butte, the Town of Mt. Crested Butte and CB South Metro District were among the sponsors of the 2025 event.
Spray paint waits for the All Hazards day
PaintCare stores don’t take spray cans. The county’s All Hazards day on April 25 and 26, 2025 took paint and spray paint at the Public Works building, 195 Basin Park Drive. Paint was free; most other items cost $2 per gallon or pound. Call Public Works at 970-641-0044 to ask when the next one is.
No state-listed program for the county
Colorado’s list of household hazardous waste programs has no entry for Gunnison County. That matches what we found: a county event, not a year-round site.
A statewide drop-off if you can’t wait
Colorado’s state list names one hazardous waste drop-off open to all Colorado residents: Clean Harbors, 9775 E. 97th Place in Henderson, in the Denver area. It takes household drop-offs Tuesday and Thursday 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. and every third Saturday 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., with no appointment. It is a long drive, so most people will hold spray cans for the county day. Call ahead.
Free pickup programs and other options
If you have 100 gallons or more, a contractor, property manager or school can ask PaintCare for a free large-volume pickup. PaintCare’s free door-to-door pickup in Colorado only covers the Denver and Colorado Springs areas. Usable paint can go to a neighbor, a local theater group or a nonprofit before it goes anywhere else.
Getting your paint ready
Keep paint in its original can with the label on and the lid tight. Pull out spray cans, thinner and stripper; the stores won’t take them and the landfill won’t either. Count your gallons: 5 per store visit. Call the store before you drive in from Crested Butte or Lake City.
Full preparation checklist →Gunnison questions5
Where can I recycle paint in Gunnison, CO?
At Fullmers Ace Hardware (820 W Tomichi Ave) or Sherwin-Williams (821 N Main St). Both are PaintCare drop-offs that take latex and oil-based paint, stain and varnish for free, up to 5 gallons per visit.
Does the Gunnison County landfill take paint?
Not liquid paint. The county lists paint, paint stripper, paint thinner, turpentine and varnish as items it can’t accept because the landfill can’t take liquids. Acrylics are allowed only once dried.
When is Gunnison County’s next hazardous waste day?
We found no 2026 date. The last one was April 25 and 26, 2025 at 195 Basin Park Drive. Call Gunnison County Public Works at 970-641-0044.
Where do people in Crested Butte take old paint?
PaintCare lists no site in the Crested Butte area, so the nearest drop-offs are the two Gunnison stores. Crested Butte residents can also use the county’s collection day when it’s held.
What do I do with spray paint in Gunnison?
Keep it capped and cool until the county’s next All Hazards day, which took spray paint in 2025. Paint stores in the PaintCare program don’t take aerosols.
Sources and how we checked6
October 16, 2026: read Gunnison County’s Solid Waste Management page (landfill rules, hours, and the Recycling Center at 195 Basin Park Dr), the county’s 2025 All Hazards Household Waste Collection Day flyer, Colorado CDPHE’s list of household hazardous waste programs (no Gunnison County entry; Clean Harbors in Henderson listed as open to all Colorado residents), PaintCare’s Colorado page and PaintCare’s locator data. Store details come from PaintCare’s data, not visits or calls. A search of the county website found no 2026 collection day; the county’s 2026 events list only covers electronics recycling. Unresolved: whether the county plans an All Hazards day in 2027, whether fully dried latex can go to the landfill (the page allows acrylics “unless dried” but says nothing about latex house paint), and whether Hinsdale County (Lake City) has its own paint option.
Checked October 16, 2026 against these sources, not by phone. How we research.
Gunnison County: Solid Waste Management (landfill, recycling center) ↗Gunnison County: 2025 All Hazards Household Waste Collection Day flyer ↗Colorado CDPHE: household hazardous waste collection programs ↗PaintCare Colorado (drop-off, large-volume pickup, door-to-door counties) ↗PaintCare drop-off site locator ↗PaintCare program states ↗
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