Drop it off
1 paint drop-off site within 12 miles.
- Warren County Household Hazardous Waste Day · Salt BarnHazardous waste site5.6 mi
Bowling Green, KY Paint Disposal
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All drop-off locations in and near Bowling Green3
Start with these
Warren County Household Hazardous Waste Day (Salt Barn, Lauren Avery Drive)
999 Lauren Avery Dr, Bowling Green, KY 42101
- Accepts
- Latex paint, oil paint, stains, thinners and strippers, adhesives, hobby and artist supplies, and aerosol cans, plus garage, yard and household chemicals, batteries, fluorescent bulbs and small electronics. Document shredding is offered on site.
- Who can use it
- Households only. The county page says it’s for local area households and can’t take business materials. PaintCare lists it for Warren County households.
- Hours
- One-day events only, 8 a.m.–1 p.m. The county lists the fall event for Saturday, Oct. 31, 2026. PaintCare’s locator also lists a spring event on April 25, 2026, which has already passed. There is no year-round paint drop-off in Warren County.
- Load limits
- PaintCare’s listing says containers can’t be bigger than 5 gallons. Keep everything in its original labeled container with the cap tight, and don’t put waste in plastic garbage bags. No ammunition, fireworks, tires, infectious or radioactive waste, or unknown gas cylinders. The county doesn’t publish a gallon limit.
- Fees
- The county page lists no fee.
Never mix chemicals. Pull hard drives out of computers before you come; the county won’t remove them on site. A 2021 WBKO story about that year’s fall event said you needed a photo ID showing Warren County residency and a Warren County vehicle registration. That is an old rule: the county’s current page doesn’t mention it. Bring your ID anyway.
Directions ↗Warren County Stormwater Management: 270-843-5363. The event page lists no phone; PaintCare’s listing gives 270-843-5360.
Habitat for Humanity ReStore, Bowling Green/Warren County (unopened supplies only)
813 College St, Suite 401, Bowling Green, KY 42101
- Accepts
- The ReStore’s donation list includes painting supplies. It does not take used or opened paint, or solvent-based coatings, fuels or chemicals.
- Who can use it
- Anyone can donate. Pickups are offered Tuesday–Friday in Bowling Green and the rest of Warren County, but you have to request one first.
- Hours
- Donation intake Tuesday–Friday 9 a.m.–5 p.m. and Saturday 9 a.m.–4 p.m.
- Load limits
- Donations must be in excellent condition. The store can turn items down because of safety, space or how well they sell.
- Fees
- Free to donate.
The page doesn’t say outright whether a sealed, never-opened can of latex is welcome. Call 270-901-0150 before you bring paint. Drop off at the front door or the double door on Spring Alley behind the store.
1 paint drop-off site within 12 miles of Bowling Green.
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.
Warren County Household Hazardous Waste Day · Salt Barn
5.6 mi999 Lauren Avery Dr, Bowling Green, KY 42101
- Who
- Households Only (No Businesses) in Warren County
- Hours
- Saturdays, April 25 and October 31, 2026, 8 am - 1 pm.
- Limits
- Containers must not be larger than 5 gallons. Never mix chemicals. Leave material in original labeled containers, ensure caps and lids are tightened. Do not place waste in plastic garbage bags.
- Products
- This site does not accept empty, dry or leaking paint containers.
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 Bowling Green cleanout?5
You painted a nursery and have three half-used gallons of latex
Keep them sealed and indoors until the Salt Barn collection day; the county takes latex there. The ReStore won’t take them because they’ve been opened.
You’re clearing out a garage with oil stain, thinner and spray cans
All of these are on the county’s list for Household Hazardous Waste Day. Keep each in its labeled container, never mix them, and box them instead of using trash bags.
You have a 5-gallon bucket of exterior paint
It can go to the collection day as long as the container isn’t bigger than 5 gallons, according to PaintCare’s listing. Bring it with the lid tight; leaking containers aren’t taken.
You run a painting crew in Bowling Green
The county’s collection day is for households only and can’t take business materials. Hire a licensed hazardous waste company for leftover jobsite paint.
You just bought too much paint and never opened it
Call the ReStore at 813 College St. (270-901-0150) and ask if it will take the sealed cans; its list includes painting supplies. You can also give it to a community or theater group, as the state suggests.
Bowling Green rules and tips5
THE LOCAL ANSWER
Hold your paint, latex and oil-based alike, for Warren County’s Household Hazardous Waste Day at 999 Lauren Avery Dr.; the county lists the fall event for Saturday, Oct. 31, 2026, 8 a.m.–1 p.m. It’s for households only, with no fee listed, and cans should be 5 gallons or smaller. There is no year-round drop-off in Bowling Green.
Bowling Green, Kentucky, and the rest of Warren County have no year-round paint drop-off. The county and the city hold Household Hazardous Waste Day twice a year at the county Salt Barn, 999 Lauren Avery Dr., and it takes both latex and oil paint. Between events, you store paint until the next one, or give good paint to someone who can use it.
Save every kind of paint for the Salt Barn day
Unlike Louisville, where latex goes in the trash, Warren County’s collection day takes latex paint, oil paint, stains, thinners and strippers. The county lists the fall event for Saturday, Oct. 31, 2026, 8 a.m.–1 p.m.
Use cans of 5 gallons or less
PaintCare’s listing for the event says containers can’t be bigger than 5 gallons. Keep paint in its original labeled can with the lid tight. Don’t bag cans in plastic garbage bags.
Bring your ID, just in case
The county’s current page has no ID rule. In 2021, though, WBKO reported that the fall event asked for a photo ID showing Warren County residency and a Warren County vehicle registration, and took no waste from other counties. Bringing your ID costs nothing.
The ReStore won’t take opened paint
Habitat’s ReStore at 813 College St. takes painting supplies but not used or opened paint or solvent-based coatings. Call 270-901-0150 before bringing a sealed can.
Karst means no dumping
Bowling Green sits on karst, so spills reach the groundwater quickly. The city names paint dumped into a drain as an illegal discharge. Never pour paint on the ground, in a sinkhole or down a storm drain.
Free pickup programs and other options
Kentucky has no PaintCare program, so paint stores in Bowling Green don’t take paint back. The Kentucky Division of Water suggests giving leftover paint to a community or theater group. Warren County and Bowling Green don’t publish a rule on drying latex for the trash. Ask your hauler before putting hardened paint in your cart; the county lists Scott Waste Services (270-783-4016) among its franchise haulers. Businesses can’t use the collection day and need a private hazardous waste company.
Getting your paint ready
Store paint indoors where it won’t freeze, in its original labeled can with the lid on tight. Before the event, check that no can is bigger than 5 gallons, sort out empty or leaking cans, and pull hard drives from any computers you’re bringing. Pack cans upright in boxes, not plastic bags, and bring your ID.
Full preparation checklist →Bowling Green questions5
When is the next paint collection in Bowling Green?
Warren County lists Household Hazardous Waste Day for Saturday, Oct. 31, 2026, 8 a.m.–1 p.m., at 999 Lauren Avery Dr. The spring event on April 25, 2026 has already passed.
Does Warren County take latex paint?
Yes, at Household Hazardous Waste Day. The county’s list includes latex paint, oil paint, stains, thinners and strippers.
Is there a year-round paint drop-off in Bowling Green?
No. Warren County only collects paint at its one-day events, held twice a year.
Can my business bring paint to the event?
No. The county says business materials can’t be accepted. Use a licensed hazardous waste company.
Will the Habitat ReStore take my leftover paint?
Not if it’s been opened. The Bowling Green ReStore doesn’t take used or opened paint or solvent-based coatings. Call 270-901-0150 about sealed cans.
Sources and how we checked12
Checked October 13, 2026: Warren County’s Household Hazardous Waste Day page, Stormwater Management page and Environmental Planning & Assistance page; the county’s summary of collections (2014–2016 figures, which show oil-based paint was by far the heaviest item collected, about 31,800 pounds in 2014); WBKO’s April 22, 2026 and Oct. 18, 2021 event stories; the Bowling Green Habitat ReStore pages; the city’s stormwater illicit-discharge page; WKU’s community recycling page; the Kentucky Division of Water fact sheet; and PaintCare’s locator data. The county page lists only the Oct. 31, 2026 event; PaintCare also lists April 25, 2026, which has passed. Move Oct. 31 to the past tense after it happens and look for a 2027 date. The county page lists no fee, no phone, no gallon limit and no ID rule; the ID and vehicle registration rule comes only from a 2021 WBKO story, so the guide treats it as dated. PaintCare’s listing gives the phone as 270-843-5360; the county’s Stormwater office is 270-843-5363. The 5-gallon container limit comes only from PaintCare. We found no city or county rule on drying latex for curbside trash, and no business collection option. WKU’s page says the ReStore takes some paint; the ReStore’s own page says no used or opened paint.
Checked October 13, 2026 against these sources, not by phone. How we research.
Warren County: Household Hazardous Waste Day ↗WBKO: Warren County officials to host Household Hazardous Waste Day (April 22, 2026) ↗WBKO: Warren County fall Household Hazardous Waste Day (Oct. 18, 2021) ↗Warren County Division of Stormwater Management ↗Warren County: summary of Household Hazardous Waste Day collections (PDF) ↗Warren County Environmental Planning & Assistance (solid waste franchises) ↗Habitat for Humanity Bowling Green/Warren County: donating to the ReStore ↗Habitat for Humanity Bowling Green/Warren County: ReStore ↗City of Bowling Green Stormwater: illicit discharge ↗WKU Community Recycling ↗Kentucky Division of Water: protecting water from pollutants ↗PaintCare drop-off site locator ↗
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