Drop it off free
8 free paint drop-off sites within 12 miles.
- Ace Hardware of Springfield-WalnutPaint store1.3 mi
- PPG Paint StorePaint store2.2 mi
- Ace Hardware of SpringfieldPaint store2.7 mi
Springfield, IL Paint Disposal
Everything you need to get rid of leftover paint responsibly in Springfield.
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All drop-off locations in and near Springfield10
Start with these
Springfield one-day hazardous waste collection at Chamberlain Park (October 17, 2026)
319 McCreery Avenue, Springfield, IL 62701
- Accepts
- Oil-based paint (the form says 'No Latex'), spray paint, paint thinner and stripper, solvents, cleaners, lawn chemicals and pesticides, pool chemicals, antifreeze, motor oil, old gas, fluorescent bulbs, mercury devices, lithium and sealed lead-acid batteries, and old medicine.
- Who can use it
- Any Illinois resident. No business waste, farm chemicals, explosives, propane tanks, fire extinguishers or smoke detectors.
- Hours
- Saturday, October 17, 2026, 8 a.m.–3 p.m., by booked time slot only. When the city's sign-up form was checked on October 6, it offered slots from 11:30 a.m. to 2:45 p.m.
- Load limits
- No household limit listed. The sign-up form asks how many households you're bringing waste for.
- Fees
- Free.
Latex and acrylic paint will be turned away. Sign up ahead for a voucher and bring it printed or on your phone. Stay in your car while staff unload. City questions: 217-789-2255. Illinois EPA's notice lists 217-789-4020 for public works.
Decatur one-day hazardous waste collection at Progress City (October 24, 2026)
East Sixth Progress Street, Decatur, IL 62521
- Accepts
- Chemical cleaners, oil-based paint, thinner, antifreeze, motor oil, gasoline, kerosene, weed killers, insect killers and pesticides, plus fluorescent and HID lamps. No latex paint.
- Who can use it
- Any Illinois resident, not just Macon County. No business waste or farm chemicals.
- Hours
- Saturday, October 24, 2026, 8 a.m.–3 p.m. Sign up first.
- Load limits
- Illinois EPA lists no limit.
- Fees
- Free.
Co-hosted by Macon County Environmental Management; sign up through the link on the Illinois EPA event page. The phone listed is Illinois EPA's main line; the August notice lists Macon County at 217-425-4505. No explosives, propane tanks, fire extinguishers or smoke detectors. Box items away from passengers and stay in your car.
8 PaintCare drop-off sites within 12 miles of Springfield.
8 paint stores and 0 hazardous waste sites, closest first. Paint stores take house paint, stain and varnish, usually up to a set amount per visit. Hazardous waste sites also take chemicals like thinner, but some only serve local residents. Call before you go.
Rules most stores here share
Who: Households and Businesses in Illinois
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.
Products: This site accepts latex and oil-based house paint, stains and varnish in containers up to 5 gallons in size. This site does not accept aerosols (spray paint or other spray products), containers without original labels, or containers that are leaking or empty.
Each listing below shows only what’s different, plus its limit.
Ace Hardware of Springfield-Walnut
1.3 mi214 N Walnut St, Springfield, IL 62702
- Limits
- Limit: 5 gallons per visit.
PPG Paint Store
2.2 mi3040 S 6th St, Springfield, IL 62703
- Limits
- Limit: 5 gallons per visit.
Ace Hardware of Springfield
2.7 mi1600 Wabash Ave, Springfield, IL 62704
- Limits
- Limit: 5 gallons per visit.
Sherwin-Williams
3.8 mi2516 N Dirksen Pkwy, Springfield, IL 62702
- Limits
- Limit: 5 gallons per visit.
Sherwin-Williams
4.2 mi3161 Hedley Rd, Springfield, IL 62704
- Limits
- Limit: 5 gallons per visit.
Rochester Hardware and Rental
6.8 mi449 E State St, Rochester, IL 62563
- Limits
- Limit: 5 gallons per visit.
Ace Hardware of Chatham
7.9 mi1200 N Main St, Chatham, IL 62629
- Limits
- Limit: 5 gallons per visit.
RP Lumber
8.6 mi200 E Mulberry St, Chatham, IL 62629
- Limits
- Limit: 5 gallons per visit.
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 Springfield cleanout?4
All your cans are latex
Skip October 17; the sign-up form says latex and acrylic will be refused. Take labeled cans to a PaintCare drop-off, 5 gallons per visit, and call ahead about space.
You're clearing a relative's garage with mixed chemicals
The form asks how many households you represent (up to 10 or more) and which types you're bringing, from pool chemicals and old gas to solvents, oil-based paint and spray paint. Sign up once with the full list, and take latex to PaintCare separately.
October 17 doesn't work for you
Decatur's Illinois EPA collection is October 24 (any Illinois resident who signs up), and Lockport is October 31. Illinois EPA lists nothing later, but Madison County's appointment-only collections in Wood River, free for all Illinois residents, are set for November 14 and December 12, 2026. Otherwise, store solvents sealed and upright until the 2027 schedule.
You booked a Habitat large-item pickup
The county's free large-item service excludes hazardous materials and construction debris, including paint. Set the cans aside for PaintCare or the hazardous waste collection.
Springfield rules and tips4
THE LOCAL ANSWER
Take latex or oil-based house paint, stain and varnish to a PaintCare drop-off, 5 gallons per visit. For thinner, stripper and spray paint, sign up for the free Illinois EPA collection on Saturday, October 17, 2026, at Chamberlain Park, 319 McCreery Avenue. It refuses latex and acrylic paint.
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.
Sign up for October 17 now
You need a voucher from the city's online form. When checked on October 6, it only had slots from 11:30 a.m. to 2:45 p.m. You pick the types of waste you're bringing and how many households it's for.
Oil-based paint doesn't have to wait
PaintCare drop-offs take oil-based house paint, stain and varnish as well as latex, any day they collect. The October 17 event is for what PaintCare refuses: thinner, stripper, spray paint and other chemicals.
The city's hazardous waste page was down
When checked on October 6, springfield.il.us/Departments/PublicWorks/HHW.aspx showed a server error. The sign-up form at springfield.il.us/Forms/HouseholdHazardousWaste.aspx worked and lists what's accepted. For questions, the form gives 217-789-2255.
The county's large-item pickup won't take paint
Sangamon County's free large-item pickup and drop-off (book through Habitat for Humanity, 217-523-2710) serves county residents but excludes hazardous materials and construction debris, including paint. Don't set cans out with furniture.
Free pickup programs and other options
PaintCare lists several Springfield and Chatham stores that take 5 gallons per visit during business hours; call first. If October 17 is full, Decatur's Illinois EPA collection on October 24 is open to any Illinois resident who signs up. At 100 gallons or more, ask PaintCare for a free pickup.
Getting your paint ready
Pack event items in a throwaway box in the trunk, like chemicals together, lids tight. Stay in your car at Chamberlain Park, and bring your voucher printed or on your phone. Keep latex and acrylic paint out of the load.
Full preparation checklist →Springfield questions4
Will the October 17 collection take latex paint?
No. The city's sign-up form says latex and acrylic paint will be refused.
Do I have to live in Springfield?
No. Illinois EPA one-day collections are open to all Illinois residents, but you still need a voucher.
Is there a year-round hazardous waste site in Sangamon County?
Not on Illinois EPA's year-round list, which names Naperville, Rockford, Chicago, Lake County and Madison County.
Can a business use the event?
No. Illinois EPA refuses business waste. Businesses can take latex and oil-based paint to PaintCare.
Sources and how we checked12
Checked October 6, 2026; no calls or visits. The city's hazardous waste page showed a server error. The event ZIP is 62701 on Illinois EPA's page and 62702 in an Extension blog post. We found no per-household limit.
Checked October 6, 2026 against these sources, not by phone. How we research.
Illinois EPA Springfield event page ↗City of Springfield HHW voucher form ↗Illinois EPA fall 2026 HHW announcement ↗Illinois EPA Decatur event page ↗Illinois EPA long-term collection locations ↗Sangamon County large item pickup service ↗Madison County HHW collections (appointments; open to all Illinois residents) ↗NPR Illinois on the 2025 Springfield collection ↗PaintCare Illinois ↗PaintCare drop-off site locator ↗PaintCare products ↗PaintCare large-volume pickup ↗
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