Everything you need to get rid of leftover paint responsibly in Honolulu.
Event site not listed on the city’s page; book first at 808-768-3201 or hhw@honolulu.gov and ask where to go
To book, give your full name, home address, phone number, a list of items with container sizes, and a preferred drop-off time. Make an inventory before you call. The city told the Star-Advertiser it holds about six events a year, generally in odd-numbered months, that a new contract for 2027 must be in place before it can announce dates, and that it plans to hold more events starting in 2027. Watch the city’s page for 2027 dates.
96-1272 Waihona St, Unit 11, Pearl City, HI 96782
The drop-off is a warehouse in the Industrial Plaza on Waihona Street; ETC’s office is at 505 Ward Ave., Suite 202, Honolulu (808-839-7222, info@gotoetc.com). ETC’s own page tells households it offers free drop-off days that vary by county and to contact it for details. Separately, the Star-Advertiser reported in late September 2026 that it had called the nine Oahu companies on the state hauler list: four said they don’t serve households, three didn’t answer or couldn’t be reached, and ETC said it serves eligible residential customers through wm@gotoetc.com. That comes from the newspaper, not from ETC’s page. Ask ETC directly whether you qualify and what a household would pay.
Take the lids off and let them dry in a shady spot, or pour the paint into a bag of shredded newspaper or rags. Once it’s solid, it goes in the gray cart. No appointment needed.
These can’t go in the trash. Keep them until the city announces its 2027 events, then register them as items, up to 12 in all. If you can’t wait, email ETC at wm@gotoetc.com; the Star-Advertiser reported that ETC serves eligible households for a fee.
The city covers waste that was left in a home you rent or own. If you think some of it is lead paint, it goes to a city event, not the trash. If there’s a lot, call the Refuse Division at 808-768-3200 before you plan anything.
Wood stain, Varathane and paint thinner are on the city’s appointment list, not the trash list, even though plain oil paint can be dried and trashed. Register them for the next event.
City events are for households. ETC runs a drop-off in Pearl City for businesses that make less than 220 pounds of hazardous waste a month. Sign its certification form and call 808-456-3494 to schedule.
Let latex or oil paint dry in the open can (or soak it up with newspaper or sawdust in a sealed bag) and put it in your trash. Spray, lead and aluminum paint, thinner and stain go to the city’s appointment-only hazardous waste events, not the trash; the Nov. 7 event is full and 2027 dates aren’t set yet.
Honolulu handles paint differently from most U.S. cities. The City and County of Honolulu says you can dry or absorb ordinary latex and oil paint and put it in the trash. Spray paint, lead paint, aluminum paint, thinner and stripper are different: they go to the city’s appointment-only hazardous waste events on Oahu, and the last 2026 event, on Nov. 7, is already full.
For latex or oil paint, the city gives two options. Let the paint air-dry in the open can, then throw it away. Or pour it into a plastic bag with shredded newspaper, old rags or sawdust, seal the bag once the liquid is soaked up, and trash it. An oil change box works the same way.
Don’t trash these. The city lists aerosol paint, lead paint and aluminum paint, plus thinner, stripper, turpentine, wood stain and Varathane, for its hazardous waste events. Call 808-768-3201 or email hhw@honolulu.gov to register.
The city’s page shows registration for Saturday, Nov. 7 as closed because the event is full. Events are capped at 200 people, and the city told the Star-Advertiser it can’t add slots. It is the city’s last event of 2026. The city said it will announce 2027 dates once a new contract is in place, and it plans to hold more events in 2027.
Only the items you list when you book are taken, and the limit is 12. Have your name, home address, phone, each item with its container size, and a drop-off time between 9:00 and 11:45 a.m. ready when you call.
The city says households with large amounts of any hazardous waste must call the Refuse Division at 808-768-3200 for instructions. That fits a full garage or a house you just bought with old paint left behind.
Hawaii has no PaintCare program, so stores don’t take paint back. The city’s first advice is to use it up: add another coat, or give leftover paint to a friend, neighbor or community group. If you can’t wait for a city event for spray cans or thinner, the city says you can hire a hazardous waste transporter. When the Star-Advertiser called the nine Oahu companies on the state list in September 2026, EnviroServices & Training Center (ETC) was the one that said it serves eligible households. Email wm@gotoetc.com with what you have and how much, to learn whether you qualify and what it costs. For businesses, the city points to the state Department of Health hauler list.
Dry paint where kids and pets can’t reach it, and keep it open until it’s solid all the way through. Don’t put liquid paint in the trash; dry it or soak it up first. For event items, keep the original labels, don’t mix products, and write down each container size before you call to register.
Full preparation checklist →Yes, once it’s dry or fully soaked up. The city’s paints page lists both latex and oil paint as “Absorb and Trash.” Spray paint, lead paint and aluminum paint must go to a hazardous waste event.
The Nov. 7, 2026, event is full and closed. The city hasn’t set 2027 dates yet. Watch its household hazardous waste page or call 808-768-3201.
Up to 12, and only the ones you registered. Unregistered items can be refused.
Keep them in a cool, dry place away from kids and pets, with labels on. The city told the Star-Advertiser that shelf-stable items can be held for the next event, and that if disposal is urgent you can hire a hazardous waste transporter yourself.
No. They’re for households. Small businesses can certify as a very small quantity generator and use ETC’s drop-off in Pearl City, or hire a hauler from the Department of Health list.
October 13, 2026: read the City and County of Honolulu ENV household hazardous waste page, its paints page and other-HHW page, and its upcoming events page; the Star-Advertiser Kokua Line column of Sept. 27, 2026, quoting ENV; EnviroServices & Training Center’s drop-off program page, location map and certification form; the Hawaii Department of Health’s disposal and hazardous waste pages; and PaintCare’s list of program states. PaintCare’s locator lists no sites on Oahu. Several facts come only from ENV’s answers in the Kokua Line column, and we credit them that way: the contract-based 200-person cap and no added slots, about six events a year in odd-numbered months, the 2027 contract and plan for more events, and holding shelf-stable items. ETC serving households also comes from the column, not from ETC. Unresolved: the city doesn’t publish where its events are held, so readers must ask when they book. The online registration form wouldn’t load for us. The Kokua Line says the registration page mentions a January event, but we couldn’t confirm it, so we left it out. The city lists “oil paint” as absorb-and-trash but wood stain and Varathane as event items; we report both as written. We found no published paint policy for the Honolulu Habitat ReStore. ETC’s household prices aren’t published, and its page’s mention of free county drop-off days isn’t explained. The ETC drop-off ZIP code isn’t printed on its map; 96782 is the Pearl City ZIP.
Checked October 13, 2026 against these sources, not by phone. How we research.
