Drop it off free
2 free paint drop-off sites within 12 miles.
- Vail Valley Ace HardwarePaint store3 mi
- Sherwin-WilliamsPaint store6.3 mi
- Sherwin-WilliamsPaint store14.9 mi
Vail, CO Paint Disposal
Everything you need to get rid of leftover paint responsibly in Vail.
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Paint recycling pickup. Book online.
Book a pickup $89 minimum · No next-day surcharge
All drop-off locations in and near Vail5
Start with these
Vail Valley Ace Hardware (PaintCare drop-off in West Vail)
2111 N Frontage Rd W, Vail, CO 81657
- 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 the North Frontage Road in West Vail. It’s the only PaintCare site inside Vail’s 81657 ZIP in PaintCare’s data. Unlike the county facility, there is no item count or residency rule here, but 5 gallons per visit.
Sherwin-Williams on US Highway 6 (PaintCare drop-off west of Vail)
40800 Hwy 6, Vail, CO 81620
- 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.
PaintCare lists this store with a Vail address but the 81620 ZIP, not Vail’s 81657. PaintCare’s map pin puts it on Highway 6 west of West Vail. We found no other source for the location, so call for directions and to check it can take your paint.
Eagle County Household Hazardous Waste Facility (at the landfill near Wolcott)
815 Ute Creek Rd, Wolcott, CO 81655
- Accepts
- Latex and oil-based paint, paint thinner, turpentine, paint strippers, rust removers, varnish and stain, plus other household chemicals. The household page doesn’t mention spray cans, but the county’s business price list charges $1 per aerosol can, so the facility does handle them. Ask before you bring them as a resident.
- Who can use it
- Eagle County residents dropping off waste from their own home, apartment or condo. Landlords, property managers and caretakers count as businesses. Very small businesses and large loads come Monday to Friday and should call first.
- Hours
- Monday to Friday, 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. for residents only. Closed Sundays and some holidays.
- Load limits
- Residents: free for up to 20 items. The county’s linked pricing policy adds that two of the 20 can be 5-gallon containers. Chemicals and paint only from Eagle County residents and businesses.
- Fees
- Free for residents up to 20 items. The county lists paint at $0.60 a pound for latex and $0.70 a pound for flammable liquids and paint (effective January 1, 2026); its small-business page says these are business rates, plus a $10 yearly registration. Landlords and property managers pay business rates. The undated pricing policy says residents pay by the pound past 20 items and seniors 65 and older pay nothing, but its rates are older than the 2026 ones, so ask.
About two miles north of Wolcott (I-70 exit 157) off Highway 131. Turn right onto County Road 49 (Ute Creek Road) just past the two-mile marker, take the left fork, turn right after the second gate. 815 Ute Creek Road is the address the county gives for its Solid Waste department. All county facilities close on major holidays. The facility is not on PaintCare’s list, so the per-pound rates can apply.
Eagle County: Household Hazardous Waste facility ↗Eagle County: Solid Waste & Recycling (landfill address, hours, paint fees) ↗Colorado CDPHE: household hazardous waste collection programs ↗Eagle County: Small Business Hazardous Waste (VSQG fees, updated Jan. 1, 2026) ↗Eagle County HHW Pricing Policy (linked from the county page; undated) ↗
2 PaintCare drop-off sites within 12 miles of Vail.
4 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 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.
Vail Valley Ace Hardware
3 mi2111 N Frontage Rd W, Vail, CO 81657
- Limits
- Limit: 5 gallons per visit.
Sherwin-Williams
6.3 mi40800 Hwy 6, Vail, CO 81620
- Limits
- Limit: 5 gallons per visit.
Sherwin-Williams
14.9 mi699 Ten Mile Dr, Frisco, CO 80443
- Limits
- Limit: 5 gallons per visit.
Spectra Pro Supply
15.2 mi795 Blue River Pkwy, Silverthorne, CO 80443
- Limits
- Limit: 5 gallons per visit.
Summit County Resource Allocation Park HHWF
20.9 mi639 County Rd 66 Landfill Rd, Dillon, CO 80435
- Who
- Households and VSQG Businesses in Summit County
- Hours
- Monday - Friday 7 am - 3:30 pm
- Limits
- Limit: 10 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.
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 Vail cleanout?4
A condo owner with 6 cans and some spray paint
That’s under the county’s 20-item free limit, so take it all to Wolcott on a weekday or Saturday. The county handles aerosols (its business price list charges $1 a can), so call 970-328-3463 to ask if your spray cans count toward the free 20.
A property manager clearing paint after tenants
The county charges landlords and managers as businesses, by the pound. A PaintCare store takes business paint free, 5 gallons per visit, and 100 gallons or more qualifies for PaintCare’s free pickup.
Two gallons of leftover trim paint
Drop it at Vail Valley Ace on the North Frontage Road. No need to drive to Wolcott.
You waited for the town’s spring event
The May 8, 2026 event has passed, and the town said there would be no other in 2026. Use the county facility now rather than storing paint until next spring.
Vail rules and tips5
THE LOCAL ANSWER
Take leftover house paint, stain and varnish to Vail Valley Ace Hardware in West Vail, free up to 5 gallons per visit. For spray paint, thinner or more paint, use Eagle County’s Household Hazardous Waste Facility at the landfill near Wolcott, free for residents up to 20 items. Vail’s only 2026 Hard to Recycle event was May 8.
In Vail, Colorado, take leftover house paint to Vail Valley Ace Hardware in West Vail, a PaintCare drop-off. For spray paint, thinner and bigger loads, Eagle County runs a year-round household hazardous waste facility at the landfill near Wolcott, free for residents up to 20 items. The town’s one Hard to Recycle event of 2026 took place on May 8.
Year-round county facility near Wolcott
Eagle County’s Household Hazardous Waste Facility sits at the county landfill, 815 Ute Creek Road, about two miles north of Wolcott off Highway 131. It takes latex and oil-based paint, thinner, stripper, stain and varnish. Hours are Monday to Friday 8 to 4, and Saturday 8 to 3 for residents only.
Free up to 20 items, then by the pound
Residents of their own home, apartment or condo drop off free up to 20 items. The county’s pricing policy says two of those can be 5-gallon buckets. Businesses pay $0.60 a pound for latex paint and $0.70 a pound for flammable liquids and paint (rates from January 1, 2026). Landlords, property managers and caretakers count as businesses and pay those rates.
PaintCare stores up and down the valley
PaintCare’s data lists Vail Valley Ace on the North Frontage Road in West Vail and a Sherwin-Williams on US Highway 6, which PaintCare’s map places west of West Vail. Farther west it lists Sherwin-Williams and The Paint Bucket on Chambers Avenue in Eagle and Gypsum Ace on Cooley Mesa Road. These are free for latex and oil paint, stain and varnish, but take no spray cans.
Vail’s Hard to Recycle day already happened
The town said its May 8, 2026 event at the Ford Park lot (10 a.m. to 3 p.m.) would be the only one in 2026. It took paint and other household hazardous waste, collected by Veolia, free for people who live, own property or work in Vail, with no commercial loads. At the 2025 event, people dropped off nearly 8,100 pounds of paint and chemicals. The town says it usually holds the event in May; questions go to Hunter Koch at 970-479-2338.
Keep paint out of cleanup dumpsters
During spring cleanup, the town asks residents not to put paint or chemicals in its neighborhood dumpsters at the North Trail trailhead, Ford Park and East Vail.
Free pickup programs and other options
Contractors and property managers with 100 gallons or more can ask PaintCare for a free large-volume pickup, which avoids the county’s per-pound business rates. PaintCare’s door-to-door pickup only covers the Denver and Colorado Springs areas. Eagle County’s facility only takes paint and chemicals from Eagle County residents and businesses.
Getting your paint ready
Keep paint in its original labeled can with the lid tight. Count your items before going to Wolcott: the free limit is 20. Bring 5 gallons or less per visit to a PaintCare store. Put spray cans and thinner in a separate box for the county facility.
Full preparation checklist →Vail questions5
Where can I recycle paint in Vail, CO?
At Vail Valley Ace Hardware, 2111 N Frontage Rd W, a PaintCare drop-off that takes paint, stain and varnish free, 5 gallons per visit. For spray paint or larger loads, use Eagle County’s facility near Wolcott.
Is the Eagle County hazardous waste facility free?
For residents, yes, up to 20 items, and two of those can be 5-gallon containers. Businesses pay by the pound, and landlords and property managers count as businesses.
When is Vail’s next Hard to Recycle event?
The 2026 event was May 8, and the town said it was the only one this year. It is usually held in May. Watch lovevail.org for the 2027 date, or call 970-479-2338.
Where do I take spray paint in the Vail Valley?
To Eagle County’s Household Hazardous Waste Facility at the landfill near Wolcott. Its household page doesn’t list aerosols, but its business price list charges $1 a can, so call 970-328-3463 to check how residents’ spray cans are handled. PaintCare stores don’t take spray cans.
Can a property manager drop off tenants’ paint for free?
Not at the county facility, which treats landlords and property managers as businesses. PaintCare stores take paint from businesses free, 5 gallons per visit.
Sources and how we checked9
October 16, 2026: read Eagle County’s Household Hazardous Waste, Solid Waste & Recycling and Small Business Hazardous Waste pages, the undated HHW pricing policy linked from the county page (its rates predate the January 1, 2026 rates), the Town of Vail’s April 23, 2026 news post on cleanup dumpsters and the May 8 Hard to Recycle event, the Love Vail Hard to Recycle page (it still calls May 8, 2026 the next event), Colorado CDPHE’s program list (Eagle County: residents only, landfill on Highway 131), PaintCare’s Colorado page and PaintCare’s locator data. Store details are from PaintCare’s data, not visits or calls. PaintCare lists the Highway 6 Sherwin-Williams with a Vail address and the 81620 ZIP; its map pin is west of West Vail, and we found no other source for the location. Unresolved: what residents pay past 20 items under the 2026 rates, whether residents’ spray cans are free, and the 2027 Hard to Recycle date.
Checked October 16, 2026 against these sources, not by phone. How we research.
Eagle County: Household Hazardous Waste facility ↗Eagle County: Solid Waste & Recycling (landfill address, hours, paint fees) ↗Eagle County HHW Pricing Policy (linked from the county page; undated) ↗Eagle County: Small Business Hazardous Waste (VSQG fees, updated Jan. 1, 2026) ↗Town of Vail: Spring cleanup dumpsters and May 8, 2026 Hard to Recycle event ↗Love Vail: Hard to Recycle events ↗Colorado CDPHE: household hazardous waste collection programs ↗PaintCare Colorado (drop-off, large-volume pickup, door-to-door counties) ↗PaintCare drop-off site locator ↗
