Everything you need to get rid of leftover paint responsibly in Tavares.
13130 County Landfill Rd, Tavares, FL 32778
This is the only Lake County site open six days a week, and the only one that takes more than 10 gallons of paint at a time. It's at the county landfill address on County Landfill Road (CR 561). The mobile unit page says business waste is taken at the landfill only on Wednesdays.
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.
13130 County Landfill Rd, Tavares, FL 32778
1200 Jackson St, Lady Lake, FL 32159
15495 SE 182nd Ave, Umatilla, FL 32784
10435 Log House Rd, Clermont, FL 34711
13535 SE 164th St, Weirsdale, FL 32195
From PaintCare’s drop-off map ↗, updated October 6, 2026. Hours and limits are PaintCare’s. Distances are straight-line, not driving.
Drive to the county center at 13130 County Landfill Rd. any day but Sunday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. A few gallons of latex is well under the 50-gallon yearly limit, so it's free.
Only 20 gallons of oil-based paint, primer or stain are free each year, and the next is $4 per pound. Bring it all to the central facility, since convenience centers stop at 10 gallons a day.
Business paint isn't household waste. Mail the county's small-quantity application to the Office of Solid Waste and plan for a Wednesday drop at the landfill once approved.
Neither the city nor the county says whether empty, dried cans can go in your blue garbage cart. The county's fee schedule lists dried oil paint as a hazardous waste item residents can drop off free, so take dried oil-based cans to the central facility. For dried latex cans, ask the county at 352-343-3776.
Take paint to the Lake County Household Hazardous Waste Center, 13130 County Landfill Rd. (County Road 561), Monday to Saturday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. It's free for Lake County households up to the yearly limits. The county says to bring proof of residency.
In Tavares, Florida, Lake County's main Household Hazardous Waste Center is at the Central Solid Waste Facility on County Landfill Road in Tavares. It takes paint for free from Lake County households Monday through Saturday. The City of Tavares won't pick up paint at the curb and sends residents to the county site.
The City of Tavares says its crews can't collect car batteries, oil and paint, propane tanks, fluorescent bulbs or chemicals, and that the Lake County Landfill handles them (352-343-3776). The city's "hazardous waste" link to the county was broken when we checked, so use the county's Hazardous Waste page directly.
Lake County's FY 2027 fee schedule gives each household 50 free gallons a year of non-flammable (water-based) paint at the central facility, but only 20 free gallons of oil-based paint, primer or stain. Over the limit, latex costs $1 per pound and oil-based costs $4 per pound.
The county's convenience centers in Astor, Lady Lake, Clermont (Log House Road), Paisley and Pine Lakes take up to 10 gallons of paint per household per day and are open only two or three days a week. Anything more goes to the central facility in Tavares, which is open six days. Check Paisley's days before you go: the county directory says Wednesday and Saturday, but PaintCare's listing says Thursday and Saturday.
Lake County's mobile unit takes paint and thinners at 9 a.m. to noon events, in containers under 10 gallons. When we checked on October 16, 2026, no upcoming 2026 dates were listed. The county says new dates will be posted when the schedule is ready.
The city says Tavares residents with a valid ID can drop household trash at the county landfill for free. Call 352-343-3776 for hours; the city notes it isn't a city facility.
Florida has no PaintCare program, so paint stores don't take old paint back for free. The county's five convenience centers take up to 10 gallons a day each. Businesses and groups can apply to the county's small-quantity program by mail (P.O. Box 7800, Tavares, FL 32778) and pay by type and amount. Give usable paint to someone who can use it.
Keep paint in its original, labeled container. If a can leaks or won't close, move the paint into a sealable heavy plastic container and label it. Carry everything in the back of your vehicle and don't leave it there for long. Know roughly how many gallons of latex and oil-based you have, and bring proof of Lake County residency.
Full preparation checklist →To the Lake County Household Hazardous Waste Center, 13130 County Landfill Rd., Monday to Saturday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Yes for Lake County households, up to 50 gallons a year of water-based paint and 20 gallons of oil-based paint at the central facility, under the FY 2027 fee schedule. More than that is charged by the pound.
No. The city says it can't collect oil and paint, and sends residents to the Lake County Landfill.
Yes, for up to 10 gallons per household per day. They're in Astor, Lady Lake, Clermont (Log House Road), Paisley and Pine Lakes, each open two or three days a week.
Not as a household. Apply to the county's small-quantity program; the county says business waste is taken at the landfill only on Wednesdays.
Checked October 16, 2026: Lake County's Hazardous Waste page (center address, hours, per-item limits, business program), Drop-off Service page and drop-off center directory (addresses, phones, hours), Mobile Unit schedule (no upcoming dates posted), the adopted FY 2027 fee schedule (solid waste section), the City of Tavares solid waste collection page (paint not collected; free landfill trash for residents), Florida DEP and PaintCare's Lake County listings, mostly read in the in-app browser because direct fetches were blocked. Unresolved: the county's hazardous waste page lists a flat 50-gallon yearly paint limit, but the fee schedule gives only 20 free gallons for oil-based paint. The county doesn't say what counts as proof of residency. PaintCare lists Paisley as Thursday and Saturday, but the county directory says Wednesday and Saturday. Neither the city nor the county says whether empty, dry cans can go in the blue garbage cart; the fee schedule treats dried oil paint as hazardous waste (free for residents), while PaintCare's listings say the sites don't take empty or dry paint cans. We found no paint reuse shelf in Lake County.
Checked October 16, 2026 against these sources, not by phone. How we research.
