Drop it off
3 paint drop-off sites within 12 miles.
- The Center for Hard to Recycle Materials · CharmHazardous waste site3.7 mi
- Benjamin Moore / Atlanta Paint DisposalHazardous waste site6.1 mi
- Smyrna Recycling CenterHazardous waste site9.6 mi
Atlanta, GA Paint Disposal
Everything you need to get rid of leftover paint responsibly in Atlanta.
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All drop-off locations in and near Atlanta5
Start with these
CHaRM Atlanta (Live Thrive Center for Hard to Recycle Materials)
1110 Hill St SE, Atlanta, GA 30315
- Accepts
- Latex, oil-based and spray paint. The paint list also names stain, sealer, paint thinner, mineral spirits and wallpaper stripper.
- Who can use it
- Households and businesses. Live Thrive’s pages don’t limit households to Atlanta residents. PaintCare’s listing says businesses must register before each visit.
- Hours
- By appointment only: Tuesday and Thursday 9 a.m.–2 p.m.; Saturday 8 a.m.–2 p.m. Closed in 2026 on October 22, November 26–28, December 24–28 and December 31, plus January 1; closes early November 25.
- Load limits
- Paint and chemicals are weighed together. Chemicals must be in original containers, with no containers of 5 gallons or more and no unknown materials. Ask whether a 5-gallon paint bucket counts under that rule.
- Fees
- Households: first 20 pounds free. After that, $0.70 a pound if the total is up to 100 pounds, $0.75 for 101–199 pounds, $0.80 for 200 pounds or more. Businesses: $1 a pound. No cash; PaintCare’s listing says Venmo, credit, debit and Apple Pay work.
Every vehicle needs an appointment, and you show the QR code from the CHaRM app at check-in. Confirmation emails are no longer sent. Sort your load before you arrive. News reports from June–July 2026 say the Hill Street lease ends in 2026 and CHaRM plans to move to the Bowen Homes site near Bankhead, reopening in early 2027. Live Thrive’s own pages had not posted a last day as of October 7, 2026, so check its site before you book a late-year visit.
CHaRM DeKalb (Live Thrive Center for Hard to Recycle Materials)
1225 Columbia Dr, Decatur, GA 30032
- Accepts
- Live Thrive posts one accepted-items list for both CHaRM sites: latex, oil-based and spray paint, stain, sealer, thinner and mineral spirits.
- Who can use it
- Households and businesses. Book through the CHaRM app or its web version and pick the DeKalb site.
- Hours
- By appointment only: Wednesday 9 a.m.–2 p.m.; Saturday 8 a.m.–2 p.m. Same 2026 closure dates as CHaRM Atlanta (October 22, November 26–28, December 24–28, December 31, January 1; early close November 25).
- Load limits
- Paint and chemicals are weighed together. No chemical containers of 5 gallons or more and no unknown materials.
- Fees
- Same as CHaRM Atlanta: households get the first 20 pounds free, then $0.70–$0.80 a pound depending on total weight. Businesses pay $1 a pound. No cash.
Live Thrive says to use GPS coordinates 33°45'07.8"N 84°16'05.0"W, not to turn on Rupert, and to keep going to turn right on Columbia Drive. Appointment required for each vehicle.
3 paint drop-off sites within 12 miles of Atlanta.
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.
The Center for Hard to Recycle Materials · Charm
3.7 mi1110 Hill St SE, Atlanta, GA 30315
- Who
- Households and Businesses in Atlanta
- Hours
- Open By Appointment Only: Tuesdays, Thursdays 9 am - 2 pm and Saturdays 8 am - 2 pm
- Limits
- All materials must be pre-sorted. All items must be clean and dry. Each vehicle must have an appointment. No cash accepted-venmo, credit card, debit card and Apple pay accepted. When you arrive at CHaRM be prepared to show your appointment QR code. Businesses are required to register before each visit.
- Products
- This site does not accept empty, dry or leaking paint containers.
Benjamin Moore / Atlanta Paint Disposal
6.1 mi3210 Roswell Rd NE, Atlanta, GA 30305
- Who
- Households and Businesses in Georgia
- 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. Limit of 50 gallons per drop off. If you have more than 50 gallons please call (404) 333-8763.
- Limits
- Pricing: $25 per 5 Gallon Bucket $5 per 1 Gallon Can $2 per Quart, Pint, or Spray Paint Container. Paint should be in the original container and should not be mixed with anything including other paint. All prices are based on the original container size and not the liquid volume in the container. Leaking containers and mixed paint will be rejected.
- Products
- This site does not accept empty, dry or leaking paint containers.
- Notes
- Fees may apply. Call for detailed information.
Smyrna Recycling Center
9.6 mi3475 Lake Dr SE, Smyrna, GA 30082
- Who
- Households Only (No Businesses) in Executive Director
- Hours
- Closed Sunday and Monday Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday, and Saturday- 8 am - 4 pm Thursday-10 am-6 pm. Closed on holidays, see website for complete list.
- Limits
- Oil and latex paints and stains Only No chemicals, strippers, mineral spirits, lacquer, roof tar, marine coating, tank/pipe coating, cleaners, gasoline, lead paint, or specialty coatings Cans must be in the original, clearly labeled non-leaking container Paint cannot be mixed with anything, including other paints. Do not consolidate different paint together. Fees: 5 Gallon Bucket- $25, 2 Gallon Bucket- $10, 1 Gallon Can- $5 All sizes less than a gallon- $2. Fees are based on the size of the container, not the amount of paint.
- Products
- This site does not accept empty, dry or leaking paint containers.
- Notes
- Drop off is self-service except for a few items such as Paint, please ask for staff help with your paint.
Keep Cobb Beautiful Household Hazardous Waste Event · Jim Miller Park
13.5 mi2245 Callaway Rd SW, Marietta, GA 30008
- Who
- Households Only (No Businesses) in Cobb County
- Hours
- Registration is required: Saturday, October 17, 2026, 9 am - 1 pm.
- Limits
- Paint must be in original cans, not mixed with anything else and in non-leaking containers. Limit of 10 gallons of paint per vehicle. Please check the website for updates and further details. No commercial vehicles are allowed.
- Products
- This site does not accept empty, dry or leaking paint containers.
- Notes
- Please visit the website for the link to register.
Benjamin Moore - Summit Paint & Supply
20.7 mi4672 Sandy Plains Rd, Roswell, GA 30075
- Who
- Households and Businesses in Georgia
- 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. Drop off is limited to 50 gallons. Please call (404) 333-8763 if you have more than 50 gallons.
- Limits
- Pricing: $25 per 5 Gallon Bucket $5 per 1 Gallon Can $2 per Quart, Pint, or Spray Paint Container
- Products
- This site does not accept empty, dry or leaking paint containers.
- Notes
- Fees may apply. Please call for detailed information.
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 Atlanta cleanout?4
You have three half-empty cans of wall paint
Leave the lids off somewhere safe until they’re solid, then put them in the garbage with the lids off. That’s the city’s own advice for latex, and it costs nothing. If you’d rather not wait, CHaRM’s free first 20 pounds may cover them.
You’re clearing a garage with oil stain, thinner and spray cans
Take all of it to CHaRM in one appointment. Its paint list covers oil-based and spray paint, stain, thinner and mineral spirits, and they’re weighed together with any pesticides or cleaners. Expect to pay by the pound past 20 pounds.
You live in Decatur or east Atlanta
CHaRM DeKalb on Columbia Drive takes the same items with the same fees on Wednesdays and Saturdays. Follow Live Thrive’s directions: don’t turn on Rupert, keep going and turn right on Columbia Drive.
You’re a painter with job-site leftovers
CHaRM takes business paint at $1 a pound, and businesses must register before each visit. Georgia EPD also notes that paid hazardous waste haulers can give a business paperwork showing proper disposal.
Atlanta rules and tips5
THE LOCAL ANSWER
Book a CHaRM appointment and take paint to 1110 Hill St SE (Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday) or 1225 Columbia Dr in Decatur (Wednesday, Saturday). Households get the first 20 pounds of paint and chemicals free, then pay $0.70–$0.80 a pound. For latex, the city says to let it dry with the lid off and put it in the garbage.
Atlanta has no city hazardous waste drop-off. The city sends you to Live Thrive’s CHaRM, a nonprofit with sites on Hill Street and in Decatur. Both take every kind of paint by appointment, and you pay by the pound after the first 20 pounds.
Book first, then load the car
Both CHaRM sites only take drop-offs by appointment, booked in the CHaRM app or its web version. Your QR code shows up in the app on the day; no email is sent. Hill Street runs Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday. Columbia Drive in Decatur runs Wednesday and Saturday.
Weigh your shelf in your head
CHaRM weighs paint and chemicals together. The first 20 pounds are free for households, so a few cans may cost nothing. A bigger cleanout is charged $0.70–$0.80 a pound for the rest. Bring a card or phone payment; no cash.
The city’s own advice is to dry latex
Atlanta Public Works says latex is not hazardous: leave the lid off, let it dry, and put the can in the garbage with the lid off. Oil paint must be hardened with kitty litter or sawdust first. Liquid paint never goes in the cart.
Watch the October 22 closure
Live Thrive lists both CHaRM sites as closed October 22, 2026, then November 26–28, December 24–28 and December 31, with an early close on November 25. Plan a Saturday slot around those dates. Hill Street is also expected to close for good when its lease ends in 2026; the reports we read don’t mention any change at the DeKalb site.
DeKalb County’s free event is not on the 2026 calendar we found
DeKalb Solid Waste has held free collection days for county residents at 3720 Leroy Scott Drive, Decatur, with a 10-gallon paint limit. The latest one we found was March 15, 2025. Its current page lists no 2026 date, so don’t wait on it.
Free pickup programs and other options
Unopened paint can go to an Atlanta Habitat ReStore; opened cans can’t. Atlanta Paint Disposal runs paid drop-off points at some paint and hardware stores. PaintCare’s map lists one at 3210 Roswell Rd NE (404-467-8777): $25 per 5-gallon bucket, $5 per gallon, $2 per quart or spray can, 50 gallons max. Georgia has no free PaintCare program.
Getting your paint ready
Keep paint in its original labeled cans and don’t pour cans together. Sort paint away from other recycling before you arrive. For latex you plan to trash, spread it thin or mix in kitty litter, and leave the lid off so the hauler can see it’s dry.
Full preparation checklist →Atlanta questions5
Does the City of Atlanta pick up old paint?
No. The city says it has no household hazardous waste program and points residents to CHaRM. Dried latex can go out with your garbage, lid off.
How much will CHaRM charge me?
Households get the first 20 pounds of paint and chemicals free. Past that it is $0.70 a pound up to 100 pounds total, $0.75 from 101 to 199 pounds, and $0.80 at 200 pounds or more.
Can I just show up at Hill Street?
No. Every vehicle needs an appointment, and staff scan the QR code from the CHaRM app at check-in.
Can my contractor use CHaRM?
Yes, but businesses pay $1 a pound and must register before each visit.
Can I donate leftover paint?
Atlanta Habitat ReStores take unopened paint only. Opened paint goes to CHaRM or, if it’s latex, gets dried and trashed.
Sources and how we checked13
October 7, 2026: read Live Thrive’s CHaRM, items, booking and DeKalb pages; the City of Atlanta household hazardous waste page; Georgia EPD’s household hazardous waste page; Atlanta Habitat’s ReStore list; and DeKalb County’s solid waste page. CHaRM’s items page lists paint fees by weight, not by can. The 5-gallon container ban appears under chemicals; whether it covers paint buckets is not stated. We found no 2026 DeKalb or Fulton County collection day and no Fulton program for Atlanta residents. The Roswell Road drop-off point comes from PaintCare’s locator listing only; we did not reach the store. Peer review (October 7, 2026): Axios, Rough Draft Atlanta and The Atlanta 100 reported in June–July 2026 that the Hill Street lease ends in 2026 and CHaRM will reopen at the Bowen Homes site in early 2027; Live Thrive’s CHaRM pages still list Hill Street hours and 2026 closures and give no last day. Re-check before December.
Checked October 7, 2026 against these sources, not by phone. How we research.
Live Thrive CHaRM locations, hours and 2026 closures ↗CHaRM items accepted and fees (paint and chemicals) ↗CHaRM appointment booking ↗CHaRM DeKalb location page ↗City of Atlanta household hazardous waste disposal ↗Georgia EPD household hazardous waste ↗PaintCare drop-off site locator ↗Atlanta Paint Disposal Georgia drop-off page ↗Atlanta Paint Disposal FAQ ↗Atlanta Habitat ReStore donation list ↗DeKalb County spring 2025 household hazardous waste event ↗DeKalb County Solid Waste Management ↗Rough Draft Atlanta: CHaRM Atlanta to relocate to Bankhead (June 2026) ↗
