Drop it off
Where Alexandria residents can take paint:
- City of Alexandria Household Hazardous Waste Collection Day (Alexandria City Complex)2021 Industrial Park Rd, Alexandria, LA
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All drop-off locations in and near Alexandria1
Start with these
City of Alexandria Household Hazardous Waste Collection Day (Alexandria City Complex)
2021 Industrial Park Rd, Alexandria, LA
- Accepts
- The 2026 list includes paints and thinners, aerosol cans, household chemicals and bleach, gasoline, kerosene, diesel and oil, lawn and garden chemicals, batteries, fluorescent bulbs and ballasts (limit 25 tubes), electronics and computers (limit 5), tires (limit 5), propane bottles under 40 lbs, pressure tanks, fire extinguishers, mercury devices and expired prescription drugs. The city’s 2019 notice named latex and oil-based paints, paint thinners and stains. (That 2019 notice excluded tires; the 2026 list takes up to 5.)
- Who can use it
- The city doesn’t say who can use it. Commercial waste is not accepted.
- Hours
- A one-day event, not a year-round site. The 2026 event was held Saturday, May 30, 2026, 9 a.m.–1 p.m. Earlier city notices we found show spring events on Saturday, May 13, 2023 and Saturday, May 18, 2019, also 9 a.m.–1 p.m.; we found no notices for other years. No later 2026 date was posted when we checked.
- Load limits
- Seal each product in its original container if you can. Wrap glass bottles, pack everything in a cardboard box, and carry the box in the trunk or truck bed, away from passengers. No gallon limit for paint is published.
- Fees
- No fee is listed on the city’s notices.
Not taken: major appliances (washers, dryers, refrigerators), commercial waste, construction and demolition debris, ammunition and televisions. Contact names differ by year: the 2026 page lists Marcus Connella at 318-449-5010, the 2023 page lists Environmental Compliance Manager Richard Williamson at 318-441-6017, and the Environmental Services page gives 318-441-6204 for household hazardous waste questions. PaintCare runs no program in Louisiana.
City of Alexandria, Louisiana: Household Hazardous Waste Collection (May 30, 2026 event) ↗City of Alexandria, Louisiana: Household Hazardous Waste Collection Day (2023 notice) ↗City of Alexandria, Louisiana: Household Hazardous Waste Collection Day Set May 18 (2019 release) ↗City of Alexandria, Louisiana: Environmental Services ↗
Which option fits your Alexandria cleanout?4
You missed the May 30 collection day
Dry out small latex leftovers and set them out with the garbage, lids off. Store full cans, oil-based paint and thinner somewhere dry and above freezing, off cement floors (the city handout’s storage tips), until the next collection day, and call 318-449-5010 to ask when it is.
Half a can of latex left after painting a bedroom
Half a can is more than the handout’s dry-in-the-can amount (less than a quarter of the can). Pour it in thin layers into a plastic-lined cardboard box, or mix in cat litter or sawdust, and let it harden. Then put the dried paint and the open, empty can out with your bagged garbage, lid off.
A contractor left paint and debris at the curb
The city makes contractors responsible for the lawn debris they leave and charges $300 a load if Sanitation has to collect it. The collection day doesn’t take commercial waste or construction debris, so ask the contractor to take the paint with them.
Paint thinner that has gone cloudy
The handout says to let used thinner settle in a sealed glass jar, pour the clear liquid back for reuse, and dry the sludge. Bring thinner you can’t reuse to the collection day; paints and thinners are on its list.
Alexandria rules and tips5
THE LOCAL ANSWER
Dry out leftover latex, or a small amount of oil-based paint, with the lid off, then put the dried can out with your Alexandria garbage, lid still off so the crew can see it’s hard. Save larger amounts of liquid paint and thinner for the city’s Household Hazardous Waste Collection Day at 2021 Industrial Park Road; the 2026 day was May 30. Call 318-449-5010 for the next date.
This guide is for Alexandria, Louisiana, in Rapides Parish, not Alexandria, Minnesota. The City of Alexandria has no year-round paint drop-off. It holds a Household Hazardous Waste Collection Day at the Alexandria City Complex, 2021 Industrial Park Road, that takes paints and thinners. The 2026 day was held May 30. Between events, the city’s paint handout says to dry out leftover paint and put it out with household garbage.
Lids off when you set dried paint out
The city’s paint handout says to leave lids off dried cans so trash collectors can see the paint is dry and take it. Garbage goes out in tied plastic bags, at the curb by 7 a.m. on your pickup day only; the city can cite you for setting it out on other days.
How to dry it, the city’s way
For small amounts, leave the lid off and stir now and then. For large amounts, pour thin layers (the handout says one-half to one inch) into a plastic-lined cardboard box, or mix in cat litter, sawdust or sand. Work outside, away from kids, pets and rain. The handout says drying can take hours or months.
Big loads wait for collection day
The handout’s drying steps are headed for latex paint and small amounts of oil-based paint. It doesn’t cover larger amounts of oil-based paint. Paints and thinners are on the collection day list, so save those for the next Household Hazardous Waste Collection Day.
No store take-back in town
The city’s Recycling Facilities list includes Home Depot, Lowe’s and Walmart for batteries, bulbs, oil and other items, but none of the listed places is shown taking paint.
Give good paint away first
The city’s paint handout says the best use for good paint is to use it up or give it to friends, neighbors, service clubs, theater or school groups, or local painters. It says oil-based paint can stay usable for up to 15 years and latex for up to 10, as long as the latex has never frozen and thawed.
Free pickup programs and other options
PaintCare runs no program in Louisiana, so stores don’t take paint back. The City of Alexandria’s collection day is the only paint event we found for Rapides Parish; we found no parish-run program. Sanitation (318-441-6080) picks up bulky items and limbs on a 10–12 working-day rotation and white goods on the third Wednesday of each month, but none of those pickups lists paint. The city charges $300 a load if Sanitation has to collect lawn debris a contractor left at the curb. Unlike Ruston, which holds a city collection every month, Alexandria’s notices we found (2019, 2023 and 2026) each describe a single spring collection day.
Getting your paint ready
Sort your cans into three piles: good paint to give away, small leftovers to dry, and full cans or thinner for collection day. Dry leftovers outside, away from children, pets and rain. For collection day, keep each product in its original container, wrap any glass, pack everything in a cardboard box, and carry it in the trunk or truck bed away from passengers. Leave TVs, appliances and ammunition at home; the city won’t take them.
Full preparation checklist →Alexandria questions5
Where can I take old paint in Alexandria, Louisiana?
To the City of Alexandria’s Household Hazardous Waste Collection Day at the City Complex, 2021 Industrial Park Road. The 2026 event was held Saturday, May 30. Call 318-449-5010 for the next date.
Can I put paint in my Alexandria garbage?
Only once it’s dried out. The city’s paint handout says dried paint and cans can go out with household garbage, with the lids off so collectors can see it’s dry. Liquid paint shouldn’t go out.
Does the collection day take oil-based paint?
Yes. The city’s list includes paints and thinners, and its 2019 notice named latex and oil-based paints, thinners and stains.
Can a business use the collection day?
No. The city’s list says it doesn’t accept commercial waste.
Is this the guide for Alexandria, Minnesota?
No. This page covers Alexandria, Louisiana, in Rapides Parish. Alexandria, Minnesota, is in a PaintCare state and has its own guide.
Sources and how we checked9
Checked October 17, 2026: the City of Alexandria’s 2026 Household Hazardous Waste Collection page, its 2023 collection notice and 2019 release, its Disposal of Latex and Oil-Based Paint handout (a PDF the city adapted from Ohio EPA material), its Environmental Services, Sanitation and Recycling Facilities pages, Louisiana DEQ’s recycling list, PaintCare’s state list and PaintCare’s locator data (no Alexandria-area listing). The 2019 release excluded tires, while the 2026 list takes up to 5. The handout says dried paint can go out at curbside “or one of our Collection Sites” but doesn’t name those sites. Unresolved: whether a fall 2026 or 2027 date is set; whether Rapides Parish residents outside the city may use the collection day; whether there is a gallon limit; which of three listed contacts handles questions now (318-449-5010 on the 2026 page, 318-441-6017 on the 2023 page, 318-441-6204 on the Environmental Services page; the 2019 release also gave 318-473-1344); whether any Habitat ReStore in the area takes paint. We found no Rapides Parish household hazardous waste program. We made no phone calls.
Checked October 17, 2026 against these sources, not by phone. How we research.
City of Alexandria, Louisiana: Household Hazardous Waste Collection (May 30, 2026 event) ↗City of Alexandria, Louisiana: Household Hazardous Waste Collection Day (2023 notice) ↗City of Alexandria, Louisiana: Household Hazardous Waste Collection Day Set May 18 (2019 release) ↗City of Alexandria, Louisiana: Disposal of Latex and Oil-Based Paint (PDF) ↗City of Alexandria, Louisiana: Environmental Services ↗City of Alexandria, Louisiana: Sanitation (garbage rules, 2026 holiday schedule, white goods) ↗City of Alexandria, Louisiana: Recycling Facilities ↗Louisiana DEQ: Recycling resources and recyclers ↗PaintCare program states ↗
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