Paint recycling
in Illinois.
Paint drop-off in Chicago, the suburbs and downstate Illinois. Free paint recycling started in December 2025.
Check your local rules.
Take latex and oil-based house paint to a paint store in the PaintCare program. Take spray cans and thinners to a state hazardous waste site or event. Those usually don’t take latex.
Free paint recycling.
Illinois has a free paint recycling program called PaintCare. Many paint and hardware stores take leftover house paint, stain and varnish at no charge.
How it works in Illinois ↗9 cities
Aurora ↗
Aurora sits in Kane, DuPage, Will and Kendall counties, and your county decides which county programs you can use. The main year-round options work for everyone: Naperville's site takes any Illinois resident's chemicals, and PaintCare stores take latex and oil-based paint from anyone.
Checked October 6, 2026IllinoisChampaign ↗
In Champaign, paint now mostly goes to stores: the city names the PaintCare drop-offs in Champaign-Urbana. The county's 2026 hazardous waste collection has already happened. The long-planned year-round site in north Urbana is still raising money, not open.
Checked October 6, 2026IllinoisChicago ↗
Chicago's chemical drop-off on Goose Island won't take latex, the most common leftover paint. Since December 2025, dozens of PaintCare stores in the city take house paint free. So split the load: latex to a store, thinner and spray cans to Goose Island.
Checked October 6, 2026IllinoisEvanston ↗
Evanston doesn't collect household hazardous waste, and its web page on it is older than PaintCare. House paint now goes to one of three PaintCare stores in town. Chemicals mean a drive to Chicago, Gurnee or Naperville.
Checked October 6, 2026IllinoisJoliet ↗
Joliet has no year-round chemical drop-off, but it has something rare: a paint recycler a few miles north in Crest Hill that PaintCare lists for up to 200 gallons a visit. Two one-day collections nearby this fall have different latex rules.
Checked October 6, 2026IllinoisNaperville ↗
Naperville's chemical drop-off is open every weekend to any Illinois resident, but it won't take latex. Latex goes to a PaintCare store or gets dried for the trash. Because part of Naperville is in Will County, you can also use Will County events, which do take latex.
Checked October 6, 2026IllinoisPeoria ↗
Peoria has no year-round household hazardous waste site. Peoria County and GFL hold a few seasonal collections, and in 2026 they don't take latex or enamel paint. So house paint goes to a PaintCare store, and the county event is for thinner, spray paint and other chemicals.
Checked October 6, 2026IllinoisRockford ↗
Rockford has one of Illinois' few year-round hazardous waste sites, open weekends on Kishwaukee Street, but it no longer takes latex. For latex, Keep Northern Illinois Beautiful (KNIB) runs two nonprofit PaintCare drop-offs that take both latex and oil-based house paint.
Checked October 6, 2026IllinoisSpringfield ↗
Springfield has no year-round hazardous waste drop-off. The city co-hosts one Illinois EPA collection a year; 2026's is October 17 at Chamberlain Park, and it refuses latex. So house paint goes to a PaintCare drop-off, and the event is for oil-based leftovers, thinner and spray cans.
Checked October 6, 2026Spray cans, thinner and other chemicals?
Paint stores won’t take these. Take them to your local household hazardous waste site. Your city guide lists it.
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