Everything you need to get rid of leftover paint responsibly in Wilmington.
801 Shipyard Dr, Wilmington, DE 19801
DSWA’s 2026 schedule and PaintCare’s listing give 801 Shipyard Drive. DSWA’s event page says 801 S. Madison St. Both mean Frawley Stadium on the Riverfront, so head to the stadium.
1101 Lambson Ln, New Castle, DE 19720
Pack each product in absorbent material or triple-bag it, and bring rags for spills. Ammunition, fireworks and gunpowder go only to the larger Saturday collection events, not the weekly sites. DSWA’s online calendar (checked Oct. 13, 2026) showed only one October latex day, at Jones Crossroads, even though the program pages still give the last-Saturday rule here; call 1-800-404-7080 before you bring latex.
470 Corporate Blvd, Newark, DE 19702
This is the weekday choice if you can’t make a Saturday in New Castle. Check DSWA’s event list before you go, since dates can change.
54 Albe Dr, Newark, DE 19702
PaintCare’s locator lists RepaintUSA at 3311 Seminole Ave., Wilmington (near Prices Corner). RepaintUSA’s own site gives only 54 Albe Drive, Newark. Ask where to bring paint before you drive.
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.
801 Shipyard Dr, Wilmington, DE 19801
1101 Lambson Ln, New Castle, DE 19720
3311 Seminole Ave, Wilmington, DE 19808
286 Welchville Rd, Alloway, NJ 08001
470 Corporate Blvd, Newark, DE 19702
From PaintCare’s drop-off map ↗, updated October 6, 2026. Hours and limits are PaintCare’s. Distances are straight-line, not driving.
Split them up. Oil-based cans go to Frawley Stadium on Oct. 17. Save the latex for the last Saturday of the month at Lambson Lane, or dry small amounts with kitty litter and trash them.
DSWA’s Newark Recycling Center, 470 Corporate Blvd., takes household hazardous waste every Wednesday 10–2, and latex on the last Wednesday of the month.
That’s a lot to dry. Bring it free on DSWA’s monthly latex day in quart, gallon or 5-gallon containers, or pay RepaintUSA $3 a gallon can to recycle it. Call or text RepaintUSA first to confirm where and when to go.
The city won’t take paint on special pickup. Call DSWA at 1-800-404-7080 or use one of its collection sites instead.
Take oil-based paint to DSWA’s free collection at Frawley Stadium on Saturday, Oct. 17, 2026, 8 a.m.–2 p.m., or to the Delaware Recycling Center, 1101 Lambson Lane, New Castle, any Saturday 8:30–2. Latex is only taken there on the last Saturday of each month; small amounts can be dried and put in the trash.
In Wilmington, Delaware, the city doesn’t collect paint. It sends residents to the Delaware Solid Waste Authority (DSWA), which takes household paint free from Delaware residents. DSWA’s next Wilmington event is Saturday, Oct. 17, 2026, at Frawley Stadium, for oil-based paint only. Latex paint goes to DSWA’s Delaware Recycling Center in New Castle on the last Saturday of each month. Delaware has no PaintCare program.
DSWA’s Riverfront event runs 8 a.m.–2 p.m., rain or shine. It takes oil-based paint and other household chemicals, electronics, and up to 2 boxes of papers to shred. No latex paint.
The Delaware Recycling Center at 1101 Lambson Lane takes household hazardous waste every Saturday, 8:30–2. Latex paint is only taken there on the last Saturday of each month, in quart, gallon or 5-gallon containers.
Wilmington’s special pickup won’t take paint or household chemicals. The city runs its hazardous waste collections with DSWA and points you to 1-800-404-7080.
DNREC says to dry small amounts of latex with vermiculite, kitty litter or shredded newspaper, or brush it onto cardboard, then throw it out. Put the empty can in the trash with the lid off.
RepaintUSA recycles latex for $3 a gallon can or $10 a 5-gallon bucket. Its own site gives 54 Albe Drive, Newark, but PaintCare lists it on Seminole Avenue near Prices Corner. Call or text 302-377-7329 to ask where and when to bring paint.
DNREC suggests giving usable paint to a group like Habitat for Humanity. Habitat for Humanity of New Castle County runs the Prices Corner ReStore at 3312 Seminole Ave. (Tuesday–Saturday 10–5); its pages don’t say whether it takes paint, so ask at 302-652-5181 first. If you can’t wait for a DSWA collection, DNREC says oil-based paint can be mixed with kitty litter, vermiculite or shredded newspaper in a well-ventilated area. Keep the open can away from children, pets and wildlife because it can catch fire. Once it’s dry, double-bag it and put it in the trash. DSWA’s weekday option is the Newark Recycling Center on Wednesdays.
Keep paint in its original sealed cans and don’t mix products. Wrap each can in absorbent material or triple-bag it, and bring rags for spills. Cans with less than an inch left can go in your regular trash. Separate latex from oil-based, since they go on different days.
Full preparation checklist →Yes at DSWA sites and events, for Delaware residents. RepaintUSA charges $3 a gallon for latex.
No. The Oct. 17 event takes oil-based paint only. Bring latex to the Delaware Recycling Center on the last Saturday of a month, or the Newark Recycling Center on the last Wednesday.
No. Wilmington’s special pickup excludes paint and household chemicals. The city sends you to DSWA instead.
Probably not. DSWA’s collections are free for Delaware residents, and PaintCare’s listings for them say households only, no businesses. DNREC tells businesses to use a waste disposal company or a Delaware-permitted hazardous waste transporter. For the list of permitted transporters, call DNREC’s Division of Waste and Hazardous Substances at 302-739-9403.
DSWA’s Delaware Recycling Center in New Castle takes household hazardous waste every Saturday. Its last listed 2026 Saturday event is Nov. 14 at the Newark Recycling Center.
October 13, 2026: read DSWA’s household hazardous waste, latex paint, and 2026 collection schedule pages, its events list and the Oct. 17 Wilmington event page; the City of Wilmington trash and recycling page; DNREC’s household waste page; RepaintUSA’s site; Habitat for Humanity of New Castle County’s ReStore page; PaintCare’s program-states page and its Delaware locator rows. DSWA gives Frawley Stadium as 801 S. Madison St. on the event page and 801 Shipyard Dr. on the schedule; we use Shipyard Drive (DSWA schedule and PaintCare) and tell readers both mean the stadium. One event description gives the Delaware Recycling Center a 10 a.m. start while the program pages say 8:30. RepaintUSA’s address and hours differ between its site and PaintCare’s listing, and its site doesn’t say whether it serves businesses. DSWA doesn’t say what proof of residency it checks. The ReStore’s paint policy isn’t published. The city’s trash page doesn’t mention paint cans in its recycling lists, so we make no recycling claim. The business “no businesses” rule comes from PaintCare’s listings, not DSWA’s own pages.
Checked October 13, 2026 against these sources, not by phone. How we research.
