Drop it off free
The closest drop-off sites to Terre Haute:
- RP LumberPaint store19.1 mi
- Putnam County Tox-Away Day · Area 30 Career CenterHazardous waste site32.1 mi
- RP LumberPaint store36.3 mi
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All drop-off locations in and near Terre Haute1
Start with these
Vigo County Solid Waste Management District, North location (Tox Away Day site)
3230 E Haythorne Ave, Terre Haute, IN 47805
- Accepts
- The North site’s list: cardboard, plastics #1, #2 and #5, paper, aluminum, glass, tires (up to four; Monday–Wednesday and the first Saturday), electronics (Tuesday and Wednesday 9 a.m.–3 p.m. and the first Saturday) and document shredding. Paint is not on that list. The district’s FAQ says oil-based paints, varnishes, stains and similar chemicals should go to a Tox Away Day, and that it takes motor oil at its Tox Away Event. At the Sept. 10, 2022 Tox Away Day, the only chemicals taken were automobile fluids, because the company that takes the chemicals had an incinerator problem.
- Who can use it
- Vigo County residents only; the district’s FAQs say it serves Vigo County residents only. News coverage of the Sept. 25, 2021 Tox Away Day said it was for consumer waste only, with no agribusiness, commercial or industrial waste, and the Sept. 10, 2022 event was for Vigo County residents.
- Hours
- Full service 8 a.m.–4 p.m. (gates close 3:30 p.m.), closed government holidays, plus 8 a.m.–noon on the first Saturday of the month (gates close 11:30 a.m.). These are recycling hours, not paint hours. The district’s FAQ sends oil-based paint to Tox Away Days, and no 2026 Tox Away date is posted. Past Tox Away Days at this address ran on a Saturday from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m.
- Load limits
- No paint limit is published. Four-tire limit; TVs cost $20. The district reserves the right to limit or refuse items on cleanup days and for shredding.
- Fees
- No paint fee is published. Electronics are free except TVs ($20).
Don’t bring paint on an ordinary day. Call 812-231-4451 or email info@vigocountysolidwaste.org to ask about the next Tox Away Day and whether it will take paint. Latex paint doesn’t need a Tox Away Day: the district says to solidify it and put it in the trash.
Vigo County Solid Waste Management District: home page (locations and hours) ↗Vigo County Solid Waste Management District: FAQ (latex and oil-based paint) ↗Vigo County Solid Waste Management District: FAQs (who can use the services) ↗Vigo County Solid Waste Management District: Electronic Recycling ↗WTWO/MyWabashValley (Sept. 7, 2022): Vigo Co. residents ask to Tox-Away items ↗Tribune-Star (Sept. 21, 2021): Vigo County Tox Away Day coming this Saturday ↗
The closest PaintCare drop-off sites to Terre Haute.
3 paint stores and 1 hazardous waste site, 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.
RP Lumber
19.1 mi520 E Jasper St, Paris, IL 61944
- Limits
- Limit: 5 gallons per visit.
Putnam County Tox-Away Day · Area 30 Career Center
32.1 mi1 N Calbert Way, Greencastle, IN 46135
- Who
- Households Only (No Businesses) in Putnam and Parke Counties
- Hours
- Saturday, May 9, 2026, 8 am - 1 pm. Rain or Shine. No early birds please.
- Limits
- Oil based paint, stains, and sealers, NO latex paint, it is water based and non-hazardous; to dispose, dry out the paint by removing the lid , mixing paint with equal parts of kitty litter, sand, oil dry, or shredded newspaper. When paint is a solid form set the dried paint out for trash pick up with the lid removed.
- Products
- This site does not accept empty, dry or leaking paint containers or latex paint.
- Notes
- Location: across from Greencastle Walmart. This is a drive-thru event. Please stay inside your vehicle and trained personnel will unload your items.
RP Lumber
36.3 mi12780 E 1050th Ave, Robinson, IL 62454
- Limits
- Limit: 5 gallons per visit.
Niehaus Lumber
37.5 mi501 S Howard St, Robinson, IL 62454
- 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 Terre Haute cleanout?4
Leftover latex from repainting a bedroom
Stir kitty litter into each can and leave the lid off until the paint is hard, then put it in your household trash. Don’t put paint in a Republic recycling cart or the city’s recycling drop-off.
Old oil-based stain and varnish in the garage
Don’t put them in the trash. The district says oil-based products belong at a Tox Away Day, but none is posted for 2026, and the Sept. 10, 2022 event took only automobile fluids. Call 812-231-4451 to ask when the next one is and whether it will take paint.
Clearing out a house with furniture and paint
Paint isn’t on the County Cleanup list, so handle it first: dry latex for the trash, and hold oil-based cans for a Tox Away Day. The district’s County Cleanups take furniture, mattresses (two-piece limit), carpet and appliances without refrigerant; the last 2026 cleanup on its list is set for November 7, 8 a.m. to noon or until the dumpsters are full.
A small painting business with leftover cans
The Sept. 25, 2021 Tox Away Day was for consumer waste only, with no commercial, agribusiness or industrial waste, and the district’s services are for Vigo County residents. Ask the district at 812-231-4451 what a business should do with its paint.
Terre Haute rules and tips5
THE LOCAL ANSWER
Mix kitty litter into latex paint, leave the lid off until it hardens, then put it in your household trash, as the Vigo County Solid Waste Management District advises. Oil-based paint, stain and varnish can’t go in the trash; the district sends them to its Tox Away Days, but none is posted for 2026, so call 812-231-4451 to ask about the next one.
This guide covers Terre Haute, Indiana. The Vigo County Solid Waste Management District handles household hazardous waste for Vigo County residents. It says latex paint can go in your household trash once it is solid, and oil-based paint, stain and varnish should go to one of its Tox Away Days. No 2026 Tox Away date is posted on its website. Indiana has no PaintCare program, so there are no PaintCare store drop-offs.
Latex goes in the trash once it’s solid
The district’s FAQ says latex paint is water-based and can go in your household trash once it has been solidified. Its easiest method is to mix kitty litter into the paint and leave the lid off until it hardens. IDEM agrees that paint should never go in the trash unless it is completely dry, and says cheap clay cat litter speeds up drying.
Oil-based paint waits for a Tox Away Day
The district says oil-based paints, varnishes and stains can’t go in the normal trash and should be brought to one of its Tox Away Days. Its website lists no 2026 date. Past events were held at 3230 E. Haythorne Ave. on a Saturday from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. (Sept. 25, 2021, and Sept. 10, 2022, per local news). At the Sept. 10, 2022 event, the only chemicals taken were automobile fluids, because the company that takes the chemicals had an incinerator problem. Call 812-231-4451 before you plan around one.
The Haythorne Avenue site doesn’t take paint day to day
The district’s North location at 3230 E. Haythorne Ave. is open 8 a.m.–4 p.m. (gates close 3:30) and 8 a.m.–noon on the first Saturday of the month. It takes cardboard, plastics #1, #2 and #5, paper, aluminum and glass, plus tires (up to four), electronics (TVs $20) and document shredding on set days. Paint isn’t on that list. Its FAQs say the district serves Vigo County residents only.
County Cleanups take bulky items, not paint
On the first Saturday of the month from spring through fall, 8 a.m. to noon or until the dumpsters are full, the district sets out dumpsters for Vigo County residents. The last 2026 cleanup on its list is set for November 7. The accepted list covers furniture, mattresses (two-piece limit), large toys, carpeting, appliances without refrigerant, up to four tires and electronics. Paint isn’t on it, and the district can limit or refuse items on cleanup days.
Curbside recycling isn’t for paint
The city says curbside recycling is run by Republic Services (812-298-2100), not the city, for $8.61 a month, and the city pays back half if your sewage account is in good standing. Hazardous household chemicals are on its do-not-include list. The free city recycling drop-off at 1329 Deming Street (Monday, Wednesday and Friday, 8 a.m.–4 p.m.) is for recyclables only.
Free pickup programs and other options
Indiana has no PaintCare program, so there are no PaintCare store drop-offs. Illinois stores do take part in PaintCare, but PaintCare’s listing for RP Lumber in Paris, Illinois, says it serves households and businesses in Illinois. Other Indiana programs in PaintCare’s non-program listings serve their own counties: Putnam County’s Tox-Away Day in Greencastle is for Putnam and Parke county households, took no latex, and was held May 9, 2026; Monroe County’s Waste Reduction District in Bloomington serves Monroe County households and very small businesses. For good paint, IDEM suggests using it up or giving it to theater or community groups. Habitat lists the Wabash Valley HFH ReStore at 1831 Wabash Ave. (812-232-9200); the listing doesn’t say whether it takes paint, so call first. Businesses: the 2021 Tox Away Day took consumer waste only, so ask the district what it recommends.
Getting your paint ready
For latex, stir in kitty litter and leave the can open until the paint is hard all the way through, then put it in your trash. Don’t put oil-based paint, stain or varnish in the trash; the district says they go to a Tox Away Day. IDEM says never to pour paint down a drain, and suggests giving good paint to theater or community groups or a paint exchange. If you plan to use a Vigo County service, be ready to show you live in the county; the district serves county residents only and asks for proof of residency at its yard waste site.
Full preparation checklist →Terre Haute questions5
Where can I get rid of paint in Terre Haute, Indiana?
Dry latex paint goes in your household trash once it’s solid. Oil-based paint, stain and varnish go to a Vigo County Solid Waste Management District Tox Away Day. No 2026 date is posted, so call 812-231-4451.
Can I put latex paint in the trash in Vigo County?
Yes, once it’s solid. The district says to mix kitty litter into the paint and leave the lid off until it hardens. Never put liquid paint in the trash.
When is Vigo County’s next Tox Away Day?
The district’s website doesn’t list one for 2026. Past events were held on Saturdays in September at 3230 E. Haythorne Ave. Call 812-231-4451 or email info@vigocountysolidwaste.org.
Can I bring paint to the Haythorne Avenue recycling center or a County Cleanup?
No. Paint isn’t on the everyday drop-off list or the County Cleanup list. Save oil-based paint for a Tox Away Day and dry latex for the trash.
I live outside Vigo County. Can I use the district?
No. The district says it serves Vigo County residents only. Check with your own county’s solid waste district. IDEM says the districts are listed on the Association of Indiana Solid Waste Management Districts’ website, and the Indiana Household Hazardous Waste Task Force can also help you find a collection program.
Sources and how we checked13
October 17, 2026: read (curl) the Vigo County Solid Waste Management District home, FAQ, FAQs, County Cleanup, About Us and Electronic Recycling pages, the City of Terre Haute Recycling Services page, IDEM’s household hazardous waste page, the Tribune-Star’s Sept. 21, 2021 Tox Away notice, and Habitat’s Wabash Valley listing. WTWO’s Sept. 7, 2022 story was read in the in-app browser (the site blocks curl); a second WTWO story was blocked there too and isn’t used. PaintCare records: 17277 (Paris, IL, program store, Illinois customers), 15494 (Putnam County, non-program) and 15477 (Monroe County, non-program). Facts genuinely run thin: no 2026 Tox Away date, accepted list, limits or ID rule is posted, and the district FAQ gives only general paint advice. No city page on residential trash rules for paint was found. The district’s home page and e-waste page give different first-Saturday e-waste hours (8–2 vs. 8–noon). Whether the ReStore takes paint is unknown. Peer review Oct. 17, 2026: the district’s yard waste page (proof of residency) was added as a source; the 2022 Tox Away story was re-read in the in-app browser and the 2021 Tribune-Star body was decoded from the page. No phone calls were made.
Checked October 17, 2026 against these sources, not by phone. How we research.
Vigo County Solid Waste Management District: FAQ (latex and oil-based paint) ↗Vigo County Solid Waste Management District: home page (locations and hours) ↗Vigo County Solid Waste Management District: FAQs (who can use the services) ↗Vigo County Solid Waste Management District: 2026 County Cleanups ↗Vigo County Solid Waste Management District: About Us ↗Vigo County Solid Waste Management District: Electronic Recycling ↗Vigo County Solid Waste Management District: Yard Waste Disposal (proof of residency) ↗City of Terre Haute: Recycling Services ↗IDEM: Household Hazardous Wastes (old paint, stains and varnish) ↗Tribune-Star (Sept. 21, 2021): Vigo County Tox Away Day coming this Saturday ↗WTWO/MyWabashValley (Sept. 7, 2022): Vigo Co. residents ask to Tox-Away items ↗Habitat for Humanity: Wabash Valley Habitat for Humanity (ReStore listing) ↗PaintCare drop-off site locator ↗
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