Drop it off
Where Albany residents can take paint:
- Dougherty County Landfill (Solid Waste Management)900 Gaissert Road, Albany, GA 31705
- Albany Recycling Services (empty steel paint cans only)1301 East Gordon Avenue, Albany, GA
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All drop-off locations in and near Albany2
Start with these
Dougherty County Landfill (Solid Waste Management)
900 Gaissert Road, Albany, GA 31705
- Accepts
- Most non-hazardous waste. The county says it takes no hazardous, toxic or biomedical waste and no herbicides, pesticides, gasoline, oils, batteries or tires on rims. Paint isn’t named either way. A City of Albany 311 article lists liquids among the types of waste the landfill takes, and says it takes no hazardous waste. The tipping-fee sheet lists a rate for "liquids" ($73.72 per ton) but doesn’t say whether that covers paint, so call before bringing liquid paint.
- Who can use it
- The free 500 pounds is for Dougherty County residents with proper ID. Commercial customers can set up accounts with the county’s forms.
- Hours
- Monday–Friday 7:30 a.m.–5 p.m., Saturday 7:30 a.m.–noon; closed most public holidays, with some exceptions. Gates close 15 minutes before closing time each day, and once a month the landfill closes from noon to 1 p.m. for a staff safety meeting. For the holiday schedule, a City of Albany 311 article says to call 229-302-3220; the county’s own page lists 229-420-1050.
- Load limits
- No paint limit is published. Special or restricted waste needs approval and 24 hours’ notice and is taken Monday–Friday 9 a.m.–3 p.m.
- Fees
- Dougherty County residents with proper ID can dump up to 500 pounds once per day free (not cumulative; tires and farm animals excluded). Residential self-haul over 500 pounds is $40.97 per ton, prorated in 20-pound steps. Rental-property and commercial loads pay the $40.97-per-ton gate rate, with a one-ton minimum for commercial haulers.
All loads must be covered or secured; commercial loads must be tarped in and out. If you weigh in at the scale house (229-302-3226), you must weigh out. Children must stay in the vehicle. City 311 directions: on Fleming Road, pass the Marine Base main gate, turn right on Gaissert Road, go about 1.5 miles and turn left into the landfill.
Albany Recycling Services (empty steel paint cans only)
1301 East Gordon Avenue, Albany, GA
- Accepts
- Keep Albany-Dougherty Beautiful says empty steel paint cans with no paint residue can be recycled here. It does not say the business takes paint.
- Who can use it
- Not published in reviewed sources.
- Hours
- Not published in reviewed sources; ask before visiting.
- Load limits
- Cans must be empty and dry with no paint residue. Not a place for liquid or dried paint.
- Fees
- Not published in reviewed sources.
This is a can-recycling option only. If a can still has paint in it, dry the paint first and use the roll out garbage container instead.
Directions ↗Not published in reviewed sources; ask Keep Albany-Dougherty Beautiful at 229-302-3098
Which option fits your Albany cleanout?4
Half a gallon of latex left from touch-ups
Take the lid off, or punch holes in it, and leave the can in a dry spot for two weeks. Once only dry pigment is left, place it inside your roll out garbage container.
Old oil-based paint in the shed
Don’t try to air-dry it. Blend it with kitty litter, let it dry completely, and place it inside the roll out garbage container. Georgia EPD says only solids may go in household garbage. Pour leftover thinner through a coffee filter and keep it for reuse.
Clearing out a rental property in Albany
The county’s fee sheet says rental-property loads pay the $40.97-per-ton gate rate. A 2022 city notice said its extra roll-off containers are for household garbage and yard debris only; contractors and landlords should call Solid Waste at 229-302-1800. Dry any paint first; the landfill takes no hazardous material.
Waiting for a collection day before you deal with it
Don’t. Dougherty County’s 2006 plan said the county had no household hazardous waste program, and KADB’s 2026 events don’t include paint. Dry the paint now and use the roll out garbage container.
Albany rules and tips5
THE LOCAL ANSWER
In Albany, Georgia, dry your leftover paint and put it in your roll out garbage container: Keep Albany-Dougherty Beautiful says you can blend latex and oil base paints with kitty litter, let it dry completely, then place it inside the roll out garbage container. For latex, you can also leave the lid off (or punch holes in it) and let the can sit in a dry place for two weeks. Never pour paint on the ground or into a storm drain.
This guide is for Albany, Georgia, in Dougherty County, not Albany, New York or Albany, Oregon. Albany and Dougherty County have no paint drop-off or hazardous waste day. Instead, Keep Albany-Dougherty Beautiful says you can dry leftover paint and place it inside your roll out garbage container. Latex can air-dry, and both latex and oil-based paint can be soaked up with kitty litter. Georgia has no PaintCare program, so there are no PaintCare store drop-offs.
Albany’s rule: dry it, then the roll out container
Keep Albany-Dougherty Beautiful (KADB), a joint program of the City of Albany and Dougherty County, publishes the local paint steps. KADB says you can blend latex and oil base paints with kitty litter to absorb the paint, allow it to dry completely, then place it inside your roll out garbage container. KADB’s first suggestions are to use the paint up or donate it. Georgia EPD backs the idea: homeowners may throw these products in the garbage, but only as solids, because garbage trucks can’t pick up liquid waste.
Two weeks with the lid off works for latex only
For latex, KADB says to remove the lid, or leave it on and punch holes in it, and let the can sit in a dry area for two weeks so the liquid evaporates. What’s left is dry pigment, ready for the garbage. KADB says this does not work for oil-based paint; use kitty litter for that.
Empty cans have three exits
Once a steel can is empty and dry, KADB says you can reuse it, place it inside your roll out garbage container, or, if it has no paint residue, recycle it at Albany Recycling Services, 1301 East Gordon Avenue. A can with dried paint still in it belongs in the garbage.
Don’t plan on a hazardous waste day
The 2006 city-county solid waste plan said there was no household hazardous waste collection program in the county, and we found none since. KADB’s 2026 calendar lists a Sept. 12 electronics, shredding and pill-drop day (already held) but no paint collection. The "hazardous waste removal fee" on KADB’s e-recycling sheet is for old tube TVs and monitors, not paint. By contrast, PaintCare’s non-program listing shows a Keep Columbus Beautiful hazardous waste event in Columbus, Georgia, held Oct. 10, 2026, for Muscogee County households only.
Reuse your thinner instead of pouring it out
KADB says paint thinner, mineral spirits and turpentine can be reused. Cap the jar you cleaned your brushes in, let the paint settle for several days, then pour the clear liquid through a coffee filter into a clean, closeable container. Never pour paint or thinner onto the ground or into a storm drain or catch basin; KADB notes drainage water returns to the water supply untreated.
Free pickup programs and other options
Use paint up on second coats or odd jobs, or donate usable cans to community groups, schools, churches, theater groups or shelters, as KADB suggests. The Dougherty County Landfill, 900 Gaissert Road, takes most non-hazardous waste and gives county residents 500 pounds a day free with ID, but it takes no hazardous or toxic material and doesn’t say whether liquid paint counts as "liquids" on its fee sheet; call 229-420-1050 before hauling liquid paint. Georgia EPD recommends paid hazardous waste collection companies for small businesses, because the service includes paperwork showing the waste was handled properly.
Getting your paint ready
Work outside, away from kids and pets, and wear rubber gloves and eye protection, as Georgia EPD advises. Mix kitty litter into the paint and wait until nothing is wet. Georgia EPD’s method also works: double-line a garbage can with plastic bags, add some cat litter, then some paint, and tie the bag once it is solid. Put the dried paint inside your roll out garbage container; the city collects only what is inside the container. Set the container at the curb or alley no earlier than 5 p.m. the day before collection and no later than 7 a.m. on pickup day. Recycle a clean, empty steel can at Albany Recycling Services.
Full preparation checklist →Albany questions5
How do I get rid of paint in Albany, Georgia?
Dry it and place it inside your roll out garbage container. Keep Albany-Dougherty Beautiful says you can blend latex and oil base paints with kitty litter and let it dry completely. This is Albany, GA in Dougherty County; the site has separate guides for Albany, New York and Albany, Oregon.
Is there a household hazardous waste day in Albany or Dougherty County?
None was listed in the sources we checked. KADB’s 2026 calendar has an electronics, shredding and pill-drop day (held Sept. 12) but no paint collection.
Can I take liquid paint to the Dougherty County Landfill?
Maybe not. The county says it takes no hazardous or toxic material. Its fee sheet lists a liquids rate of $73.72 per ton but doesn’t mention paint. Call 229-420-1050 before you go.
Can oil-based paint be dried with the lid off?
No. KADB says the two-week air-drying method won’t work for oil-based paint. Mix oil-based paint with kitty litter instead, let it dry completely, then place it inside the roll out garbage container.
What number reaches Keep Albany-Dougherty Beautiful?
The county’s KADB page and e-recycling sheet list 229-302-3098. A City of Albany 311 article lists 229-430-5257. Both give the office as 2106 Habersham Road; try 229-302-3098 first.
Sources and how we checked14
October 17, 2026: read KADB’s Paint Disposal page (the county site blocks curl, so it was read in the in-app browser), the City of Albany 311 articles on paint cans, landfill items and directions, the Dougherty County Solid Waste page, the landfill tipping-fee sheet (effective Dec. 2, 2025), the City of Albany Solid Waste Division page and FAQ, Georgia EPD’s household hazardous waste page, KADB’s 2026 calendar and e-recycling sheet, a 2022 Albany Herald report on city roll-off sites and the 2006 draft solid waste plan. PaintCare has no listing in Albany, GA; the Columbus, GA record (15297) is used for contrast and labeled as a non-program listing. Unresolved: whether the landfill takes liquid paint under its liquids rate; Albany Recycling Services’ hours and phone; KADB’s current phone (229-302-3098 on county pages, 229-430-5257 on a city 311 article); the 2006 plan’s ’no HHW program’ statement is old, though no newer program was found. No phone calls were made.
Checked October 17, 2026 against these sources, not by phone. How we research.
Keep Albany-Dougherty Beautiful: Paint Disposal ↗City of Albany 311: Paint Can Disposal ↗Georgia EPD: Household Hazardous Waste ↗Dougherty County: Solid Waste Management (landfill) ↗Dougherty County Landfill Tipping Fees (effective Dec. 2, 2025) ↗City of Albany 311: Types of Waste Accepted at the Landfill ↗City of Albany 311: Landfill location and directions ↗City of Albany, GA: Solid Waste Division ↗Dougherty County: Keep Albany-Dougherty Beautiful ↗Keep Albany-Dougherty Beautiful: 2026 Calendar of Events ↗Keep Albany-Dougherty Beautiful: E-Recycling Information ↗Albany Herald (2022): City of Albany announces garbage roll-off site changes ↗Dougherty County and City of Albany Solid Waste Management Plan (draft report, February 2006) ↗PaintCare drop-off site locator ↗
