Everything you need to get rid of leftover paint responsibly in Fort Wayne.
2260 Carroll Rd, Fort Wayne, IN 46818
Enter through Recovery Road from Lima Road. Put items in a box or plastic tote; garbage bags are refused. Keep paint in labeled original cans, and keep everything in the trunk or truck bed.
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.
517 S 300 W, Huntington, IN 46750
2320 W 800 South, Ashley, IN 46705
0530 E 300 S, LaGrange, IN 46761
1101 Manchester Ave, Wabash, IN 46992
From PaintCare’s drop-off map ↗, updated October 6, 2026. Hours and limits are PaintCare’s. Distances are straight-line, not driving.
Take the lids off and let them dry, or stir in cat litter. Once it’s solid, set the cans next to your trash with the lids off.
Bring them to 2260 Carroll Road on a Tuesday, 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. The county takes “outdated paint” but only posts a price for latex, so call 260-449-4433 to ask what oil-based products cost. Keep them in labeled original containers in a box or tote.
Tox Saturday waives the usual fees, so latex is free that day. Bring no more than 10 gallons of paint. Electronics are not accepted.
Drying that much is slow. On a Tuesday it costs about $30 at $2 a gallon, and the county sends it to a recycler. The ReStore on Lima Road won’t take it.
Dry out latex paint and set the open can beside your trash, or take it to Allen County’s Tox Tuesday at 2260 Carroll Road (Tuesdays 9 a.m.–2 p.m., $2 a gallon for latex, cash or check). Other old paint goes there too, but the county posts no price for oil-based paint or stain, so call 260-449-4433 first. The free Tox Saturday is October 10, 2026, with a 10-gallon paint limit.
Fort Wayne sends paint questions to the Allen County Department of Environmental Management. The county’s hazardous waste site at 2260 Carroll Road is open every Tuesday, 9 a.m. to 2 p.m., for Allen County residents. Latex paint costs $2 a gallon there. Or dry it out and set the open can next to your trash.
The county and the City of Fort Wayne are holding a free Tox Saturday on October 10, 2026, 9 a.m. to 2 p.m., at 2260 Carroll Road. Fees are waived that day, but paint is limited to 10 gallons. The site is then closed Tuesday, October 13.
Allen County says to take the lid off and let latex paint air dry, or stir in cat litter or sawdust so it dries in a day or two. Set the can beside your regular trash with the lid off so the hauler can see it’s dry. Only fully dry latex can go out.
Get to the Carroll Road site through Recovery Road off Lima Road. Bring cash or a check, and pack cans in a box or plastic tote. Garbage bags are refused.
The county says latex brought on Tox Tuesday goes to a plant in Ohio that sorts it by color and remixes it into lower-cost paint.
Habitat for Humanity of Greater Fort Wayne lists paint and stain as items it can’t accept at its ReStore at 4747 Lima Road.
There’s no free store take-back in Indiana. Allen County suggests sharing leftovers with family, friends and neighbors. Moving? The county asks you not to leave chemicals for the next owner; give them away or bring them on a Tuesday.
Keep paint in the original labeled can with the lid on tight. Don’t pour different paints together. Put cans in a box or tote in the trunk or truck bed. Bring cash or a check for latex on a Tuesday.
Full preparation checklist →Only when it’s completely dry. Let it air dry or add cat litter or sawdust, then set the can beside your trash with the lid off.
$2 a gallon on Tox Tuesday, cash or check. It’s free at Tox Saturday on October 10, 2026, with a 10-gallon paint limit.
Normally no; it’s open Tuesdays, 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. The exception is Tox Saturday on October 10, 2026.
Yes. The site is open to all Allen County residents, not just the City of Fort Wayne.
Call the county at 260-449-4433 first. The county asks businesses to contact it before bringing anything.
October 7, 2026: read the Allen County DEM household hazardous waste page, its latex paint FAQ and a 2026 Tox Tuesday calendar entry (pages opened in a browser; they block scripted requests), the City of Fort Wayne solid waste and hazardous waste pages, and Habitat for Humanity of Greater Fort Wayne’s donation page. Fort Wayne’s own page simply points to Allen County. Peer review the same day re-read the county pages: they list “outdated paint” and price only latex ($2 a gallon); oil-based paint, stain and spray paint are not named, so the guide no longer says they are taken at a known price and tells readers to call. Tox Saturday on October 10, 2026 is three days after review; refresh this guide after it. Not found: the price, if any, for oil-based paint on Tox Tuesday, what proof of Allen County residency is checked, and any paint swap shelf. PaintCare’s locator data has no Allen County listing.
Checked October 7, 2026 against these sources, not by phone. How we research.
.jpg){kind=link}
.jpg){kind=link}