Drop it off free
9 free paint drop-off sites within 12 miles.
- Sherwin-WilliamsPaint store0.2 mi
- RP LumberPaint store4.6 mi
- Ace HardwarePaint store7.9 mi
Woodstock, IL Paint Disposal
Everything you need to get rid of leftover paint responsibly in Woodstock.
NOW AVAILABLE IN WOODSTOCK
Paint recycling pickup. Book online.
Book a pickup $89 minimum · No next-day surcharge
All drop-off locations in and near Woodstock13
Start with these
Sherwin-Williams, South Eastwood Drive, Woodstock (PaintCare drop-off)
631 S Eastwood Dr, Woodstock, IL 60098
- Accepts
- Latex and oil-based house paint, stain and varnish up to 5-gallon containers, in the original labeled can. Not spray cans, unlabeled cans, or leaking or empty cans.
- Who can use it
- Illinois households and businesses (PaintCare).
- Hours
- During store hours, per PaintCare and the McHenry County Green Guide. Both say to call ahead to confirm hours and space.
- Load limits
- 5 gallons per visit.
- Fees
- Free.
This is the closer of Woodstock's two stores to the city center. The Green Guide lists seven Sherwin-Williams stores in McHenry County; PaintCare's current list shows six of them (not the McHenry store on Elm St).
RP Lumber, South Country Club Road, Woodstock (PaintCare drop-off)
4001 S Country Club Rd, Woodstock, IL 60098
- Accepts
- Latex and oil-based house paint, stain and varnish in containers up to 5 gallons. No aerosols, unlabeled or leaking containers.
- Who can use it
- Households and businesses in Illinois, per PaintCare.
- Hours
- Store hours, per PaintCare. We didn't confirm them; call before you go.
- Load limits
- Neither PaintCare's listing nor the Green Guide gives a per-visit limit for this store, unlike the 5-gallon limit at other McHenry County sites. Don't assume it's unlimited; call with your can count.
- Fees
- Free.
It's south of town on Country Club Road, about 4.6 miles from the city center in a straight line. The county fairgrounds on the same road (11900 Country Club Rd) host an electronics-only recycling day, not a paint collection.
Rockford Household Hazardous Waste Disposal Center (Kishwaukee Street)
3315 Kishwaukee St, Rockford, IL 61109
- Accepts
- Oil-based paint and other household chemicals in sealed containers of 5 gallons or less. Rockford says latex paint is no longer taken.
- Who can use it
- Illinois residents. No business or farm waste.
- Hours
- Saturdays 8 a.m.–4 p.m. and Sundays noon–4 p.m. Closed New Year's Day, Easter Sunday, Independence Day and Christmas. The McHenry County health department adds that it is closed on weekends closest to holidays.
- Load limits
- No container over 5 gallons and no bulk packaged material.
- Fees
- Rockford says drop-off is free for Illinois residents. The McHenry County Green Guide says to call about fees, so ask if you're unsure.
Enter from Kishwaukee Street only. The city runs it with Illinois EPA and Four Rivers Sanitation Authority. About 32 miles west of Woodstock in a straight line, but no appointment is needed, unlike SWALCO.
SWALCO household chemical waste drop-off, Gurnee (appointment only)
1311 N Estes St, Gurnee, IL 60031
- Accepts
- SWALCO's list includes latex and oil-based house paint, stain and varnish, spray paint, thinner and mineral spirits, and other household chemicals.
- Who can use it
- SWALCO says its program serves Illinois residents, not only Lake County. Household waste only.
- Hours
- By appointment only. SWALCO says it holds drop-offs twice a month (not in December); PaintCare says once in December, and McHenry County's pages say every Saturday. Book on SWALCO's website before you go; no walk-ins.
- Load limits
- Containers up to 5 gallons. SWALCO allows no more than 20 gallons of any one type of waste; PaintCare lists 20 gallons of paint per visit.
- Fees
- No household fee is listed.
About 28 miles east of Woodstock in a straight line. SWALCO's mobile events are held at places around Lake County, not McHenry County.
9 PaintCare drop-off sites within 12 miles of Woodstock.
9 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.
Sherwin-Williams
0.2 mi631 S Eastwood Dr, Woodstock, IL 60098
- Limits
- Limit: 5 gallons per visit.
RP Lumber
4.6 mi4001 S Country Club Rd, Woodstock, IL 60098
Ace Hardware
7.9 mi4520 W Crystal Lake Rd, McHenry, IL 60050
- Limits
- Limit: 5 gallons per visit.
Sherwin-Williams
8.1 mi6605 Northwest Hwy, Crystal Lake, IL 60014
- Limits
- Limit: 5 gallons per visit.
Zieglers Ace Crystal Lake
8.3 mi435 S Main St, Crystal Lake, IL 60014
- Limits
- Limit: 5 gallons per visit.
Sherwin-Williams
8.8 mi3718 W Elm St, Mchenry, IL 60050
- Limits
- Limit: 5 gallons per visit.
Zieglers Ace Lake in the Hills
10.2 mi481 N Randall Rd, Lake In The Hills, IL 60156
- Limits
- Limit: 5 gallons per visit.
Sherwin-Williams
10.5 mi120 N Randall Rd, Lake in the Hills, IL 60156
- Limits
- Limit: 5 gallons per visit.
Show 1 more site
Sherwin-Williams
11.5 mi12820 S Rte 47, Huntley, IL 60142
- 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 Woodstock cleanout?4
You live in Harvard or Marengo
Neither town has a PaintCare store. Woodstock's two stores are the closest. Harvard is about 13 miles from Woodstock and Marengo about 9, in a straight line. Call ahead so the trip isn't wasted.
You have thinner and spray paint, and you work weekdays
Rockford's site is open Saturdays 8 a.m.–4 p.m. and Sundays noon–4 p.m., no appointment, free for Illinois residents. Enter from Kishwaukee Street. SWALCO in Gurnee is closer but requires an appointment.
You have 18 gallons of latex from a remodel
That's four trips at 5 gallons each to Sherwin-Williams. Call RP Lumber first, since no per-visit limit is listed there. SWALCO in Gurnee takes up to 20 gallons a visit by appointment, latex included.
You missed the June 6 county collection
It was McHenry County's only 2026 hazardous waste day, and no later date is posted. The health department points residents to the permanent sites: Rockford, SWALCO, Naperville and Chicago's Goose Island.
Woodstock rules and tips5
THE LOCAL ANSWER
Take latex or oil-based house paint, stain and varnish to Sherwin-Williams (631 S Eastwood Dr) or RP Lumber (4001 S Country Club Rd) in Woodstock; both are free PaintCare drop-offs. McHenry County's 2026 hazardous waste day was in June, so take thinner and spray paint to Rockford's free weekend site (3315 Kishwaukee St) or book SWALCO in Gurnee.
In Woodstock, Illinois (McHenry County seat), leftover house paint goes free to the two PaintCare stores in town: Sherwin-Williams on South Eastwood Drive and RP Lumber on South Country Club Road. McHenry County has no hazardous waste site of its own, and its one 2026 collection was in June, so thinner and spray paint go to Rockford or Gurnee.
Use the county Green Guide's list
The 2026 McHenry County Green Guide, published by McHenry County College's Sustainability Center, lists 10 PaintCare stores in the county. In Woodstock they are Sherwin-Williams (631 S Eastwood Dr) and RP Lumber (4001 S Country Club Rd). The guide says to call any store first. PaintCare's current list no longer shows one of the 10, the Sherwin-Williams on Elm St in McHenry.
Harvard, Marengo and Wonder Lake drive to Woodstock
PaintCare lists no store in Harvard, Marengo, Hebron, Union, Bull Valley or Wonder Lake. Woodstock's two stores are the nearest for most of the west and north county. From the Wonder Lake side, McHenry's Ace Hardware at 4520 W Crystal Lake Rd is another choice.
The June collection is over
McHenry County's 2026 hazardous waste day was held June 6 at the Huntley schools' Reed Road campus in Lake in the Hills. The county's recycling days at 667 Ware Rd don't take paint. They are for shredding, foam, textiles, bulbs and batteries.
Year-round chemical sites are outside the county
The health department lists four permanent sites. Rockford (3315 Kishwaukee St) is open weekends with no appointment. SWALCO in Gurnee is closer but needs an appointment. Naperville and Chicago's Goose Island are farther.
Different from the Chicago guides
Woodstock has no city hazardous waste site like Naperville's. MDC Environmental Services is the city's hauler (815-568-7274). The city's FAQ doesn't mention paint, so ask MDC before putting dried cans in your tote.
Free pickup programs and other options
Other McHenry County stores on PaintCare's list: Sherwin-Williams in Crystal Lake, Lake in the Hills, Huntley, Fox River Grove and Volo; Zieglers Ace at 435 S Main St in Crystal Lake; Ace Hardware in McHenry; JC Licht in Algonquin. Each takes 5 gallons a visit. SWALCO in Gurnee takes up to 20 gallons of paint by appointment, including latex. PaintCare picks up 100 gallons or more for free.
Getting your paint ready
Keep paint in the original can with its label and a tight lid. Stores turn away spray cans, unlabeled cans and leaking cans. Put thinner and spray paint in a separate box for Rockford or SWALCO. Count your cans before calling RP Lumber, since it lists no per-visit limit.
Full preparation checklist →Woodstock questions5
Where can I drop off old paint in Woodstock, IL?
Sherwin-Williams at 631 S Eastwood Dr, or RP Lumber at 4001 S Country Club Rd. Both are PaintCare drop-offs for latex and oil-based paint, free.
Does McHenry County have a hazardous waste drop-off?
No permanent one. The county held one 2026 collection, on June 6 in Lake in the Hills. The nearest year-round sites are Rockford (weekends, no appointment) and SWALCO in Gurnee (appointment).
Can I bring paint to the county recycling days at the Administration Building?
No. Those events at 667 Ware Rd take shredding, foam, textiles, bulbs and batteries, not paint.
Does Rockford take latex paint?
No. Rockford says it no longer takes latex. Use a PaintCare store, or SWALCO by appointment.
Is there still a county paint recycling day?
Not one we found. The county held a one-day paint event at 667 Ware Rd in November 2022, before PaintCare started in Illinois in December 2025. Now the stores take paint year-round.
Sources and how we checked13
Checked October 16, 2026; no calls or visits. The 2026 Green Guide conflicts with itself on latex: its permanent-site list says no latex, but it lists latex at the June 6 event and at SWALCO. SWALCO's own list includes latex; Rockford's page says it no longer takes latex. The Green Guide lists a Sherwin-Williams at 3718 W Elm St in McHenry that is not in PaintCare's current data, so we left it out. SWALCO's schedule differs by source (twice a month on SWALCO's page, every Saturday on the county's pages). RP Lumber Woodstock has no per-visit limit in PaintCare's data or the Green Guide. Rockford says it's free; the Green Guide says call about fees. We didn't confirm MDC's paint rules or store hours.
Checked October 16, 2026 against these sources, not by phone. How we research.
McHenry County Green Guide 2026 (MCC Sustainability Center) ↗McHenry County Department of Health: solid waste program ↗PaintCare Illinois ↗PaintCare drop-off site locator ↗PaintCare large-volume pickup ↗City of Rockford household hazardous waste disposal ↗SWALCO household chemical waste program ↗SWALCO accepted and unacceptable items ↗Naperville Household Hazardous Waste Facility ↗Illinois EPA fall 2026 HHW announcement ↗City of Woodstock garbage and recycling FAQs ↗Northwest Herald on McHenry County's 2022 paint recycling day ↗Illinois EPA: paint ↗
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