Drop it off
1 paint drop-off site within 12 miles.
- Keep Columbus Beautiful Household Hazardous Waste Event · Recycling and Sustainability CenterHazardous waste site2 mi
Columbus, GA Paint Disposal
Everything you need to get rid of leftover paint responsibly in Columbus.
NOW AVAILABLE IN COLUMBUS
Paint recycling pickup. Book online.
Book a pickup $89 minimum · No next-day surcharge
All drop-off locations in and near Columbus3
Start with these
Pine Grove Municipal Landfill (dried paint and empty cans only)
7900 Pine Grove Way, Columbus, GA 31907
- Accepts
- Only empty paint cans and paint that has dried completely. Liquid paint is on the landfill's prohibited list.
- Who can use it
- Muscogee County residents only; bring a valid ID or a water bill. Contractors working in Muscogee County must show proof of where the job is, such as a work order or invoice.
- Hours
- Monday to Friday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Open one Saturday a month, 8 a.m. to noon, on dates the city lists (the rest of 2026: November 7 and December 5; the October 3 Saturday has passed). Closed Sunday. Arrive 30 minutes before closing, or 90 minutes before for large loads.
- Load limits
- Loads can't be mixed: bring one type of material per load, such as household garbage.
- Fees
- Household garbage is $85 per ton. The city doesn't list a minimum charge for small loads. Cash, check, credit and debit cards are accepted.
The city says to dry paint by filling the can with dirt, sand or an absorbent and leaving it open to the air until it is solid. Ask the scale-house attendant about anything you're unsure of. The landfill page lists 706-225-4516; the Integrated Waste page lists 706-225-4515 for the same manager.
Columbus Household Hazardous Waste Collection Day (Recycling and Sustainability Center)
8001 Pine Grove Way, Columbus, GA 31907
- Accepts
- Paints, plus antifreeze, solvents, pesticides, herbicides, cleaners, acids, mercury, rechargeable batteries and fluorescent bulbs.
- Who can use it
- PaintCare's listing says households only, in Muscogee County. No businesses.
- Hours
- Once a year in October. The 2026 event was held Saturday, October 10, 2026; PaintCare lists it as 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. The 2027 date has not been posted.
- Load limits
- No paint amount limit is published. PaintCare's listing says no empty, dry or leaking cans.
- Fees
- The city lists no fee.
This is a drive-through event, not a year-round drop-off. The city says the event is held the first Saturday in October, but the 2026 date it gave (October 10) was the second Saturday, so check the city page for the 2027 date. The phone is the city's contact for the Recycling and Sustainability Center, where the event is held. The city doesn't list an event phone. Its Integrated Waste division manager is at 706-225-4662, and PaintCare lists 706-225-4008 for the event. The hours, the households-only rule and the no-empty-cans rule come only from PaintCare's listing.
1 paint drop-off site within 12 miles of Columbus.
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.
Keep Columbus Beautiful Household Hazardous Waste Event · Recycling and Sustainability Center
2 mi8001 Pine Grove Way, Columbus, GA 31907
- Who
- Households Only (No Businesses) in Muscogee County
- Hours
- Saturday, October 10, 2026, 9 am - 1 pm.
- Products
- This site does not accept empty, dry or leaking paint containers.
- Notes
- This is a drive-thru event for safety protocols.
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 Columbus cleanout?5
You just missed the October 10 event
Don't hold liquid paint for long. Dry it with sand, dirt or cat litter and put it in your cart. Or store it safely until the city announces its 2027 hazardous waste day.
You're cleaning out a parent's garage in Midtown
Dry the latex cans and put them in the black cart a few at a time, since the city won't take anything outside the cart. For a big load, take dried cans to Pine Grove on a weekday, with a separate trip for other debris.
You have oil-based stain or paint thinner
The city won't pick up hazardous waste curbside. Solvents and paints were taken at the yearly event, so keep them sealed and stored safely until the next one is announced.
You can only get to the landfill on a weekend
Pine Grove opens one Saturday a month, 8 a.m. to noon. The rest of 2026, that's November 7 and December 5. It's closed Sundays.
You live on post at Fort Benning
The city's solid waste plan covers Muscogee County except the Fort Benning Military Reservation. Ask your installation's housing or environmental office about paint.
Columbus rules and tips5
THE LOCAL ANSWER
Dry leftover paint with sand, dirt or cat litter, then put the hardened can in your black or brown city cart. This year's only liquid paint collection was the October 10, 2026 hazardous waste day, and the city hasn't posted a 2027 date. Pine Grove Landfill takes only empty cans or fully dried paint.
This guide is for Columbus, Georgia (Muscogee County), not Columbus, Ohio. The city takes liquid paint only at its once-a-year household hazardous waste day, and the 2026 event was already held on October 10. The rest of the year, the city's rule is to dry paint out or empty the can before it goes in your garbage or to Pine Grove Landfill.
Solidify it with sand, dirt or cat litter
The city's collection rules say paint cans must be empty or solidified with sand, dirt or cat litter before they're collected.
All trash goes in the black or brown cart
Since September 9, 2024, the city collects household waste only from city-issued black or brown carts. Put dried paint cans inside the cart, not beside it.
Pine Grove only takes it dry
Paint is on Pine Grove Landfill's prohibited list. The exception is empty cans or paint that has dried completely. Bring an ID or water bill showing you live in Muscogee County.
The hazardous waste day is yearly
The city holds it once a year in October at the Recycling and Sustainability Center, 8001 Pine Grove Way. The 2026 event was on October 10. Check the city page for the 2027 date.
Contractors must take their waste with them
City ordinance 13-167.2(8) says building contractors must remove the waste they create. If you hire a painter, their leftover paint shouldn't end up at your curb.
Free pickup programs and other options
Georgia has no PaintCare program, so stores don't take paint back for free. Georgia EPD suggests giving usable paint to someone who can use it, and says household hazardous waste may go in the garbage only as a solid. EPD also names Atlanta options: CHaRM, where some fees may apply, and Atlanta Paint Disposal, which takes latex for a fee. The city's four recycling drop-off trailers, such as Cooper Creek Park, take only plastic, paper and cans.
Getting your paint ready
For drying, work outside away from kids and pets. Stir sand, dirt or cat litter into latex until nothing sloshes, then leave the can open until it's hard. For a landfill trip, bring a valid ID or water bill and keep the load to one type of waste.
Full preparation checklist →Columbus questions5
When is the next hazardous waste day in Columbus, GA?
The 2026 event was held October 10. The city hasn't posted a 2027 date yet; it says the event is held in October.
Can I put paint in my garbage cart?
Only if the can is empty or the paint is solidified with sand, dirt or cat litter.
Will Pine Grove Landfill take my old paint?
Only empty cans or paint that is completely dry. Liquid paint is prohibited.
I live in Phenix City, Alabama. Can I use Pine Grove?
No. The landfill takes waste only from Muscogee County residents.
Does the Recycling Center take paint on normal days?
No. Paint is listed only for the yearly hazardous waste day. The everyday drop-off trailers take recyclables only.
Sources and how we checked9
October 13, 2026 (peer review re-read every source): read Columbus Consolidated Government's Household Hazardous Waste Collection Day page (first Saturday in October; next collection October 10, 2026; paints listed), garbage collection information (paint cans must be empty or solidified with sand, dirt or cat litter; household waste only in city carts since September 9, 2024; contractor ordinance), resources page (no hazardous waste picked up), landfill page (Pine Grove rules, hours, Saturday dates, fees, paint prohibited except empty or dried; solid waste plan excludes Fort Benning), recycling page, Integrated Waste phone page (Recycling and Sustainability Center 706-225-4505; division manager 706-225-4662; Pine Grove 706-225-4515, while the landfill page says 4516), Georgia EPD's household hazardous waste page, and PaintCare's listing (9 a.m. to 1 p.m., drive-through, Muscogee County households, 706-225-4008). Conflict: the city says the event is the first Saturday in October, but October 10, 2026 was the second Saturday. Not found: a 2027 date, paint limits at the event, a business option, and any reuse or donation program for paint.
Checked October 13, 2026 against these sources, not by phone. How we research.
Columbus Consolidated Government: Household Hazardous Waste Collection Day ↗Columbus Consolidated Government: garbage collection information (paint rule) ↗Columbus Consolidated Government: Integrated Waste resources (what the city won't pick up) ↗Columbus Consolidated Government: Pine Grove and Granite Bluff landfills ↗Columbus Consolidated Government: recycling and drop-off trailer sites ↗Columbus Consolidated Government: Integrated Waste (phone) ↗Georgia EPD household hazardous waste ↗PaintCare drop-off site locator ↗PaintCare program states (Tennessee and Georgia not listed) ↗
.jpg){kind=link}
.jpg){kind=link}