Everything you need to get rid of leftover paint responsibly in New Orleans.
2831 Marais St, New Orleans, LA 70117
Use the double doors on Press Street by the marble yard. The Green Project mixes donated paint into its own recycled interior, exterior and primer colors every week, so this is also a place to buy cheap paint. It is not a PaintCare site: Louisiana has no PaintCare program.
2829 Elysian Fields Ave, New Orleans, LA 70122
In 2026, construction at the site meant longer waits and a changed layout. After the 2026 day, residents could pick up usable paint from it for free at the drop-off center, April 21 to 25, 9 a.m.–1 p.m.; that giveaway is over. Watch nola.gov for the next date.
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.
2831 Marais St, New Orleans, LA 70117
150 NorthShore Blvd, Slidell, LA 70460
From PaintCare’s drop-off map ↗, updated October 6, 2026. Hours and limits are PaintCare’s. Distances are straight-line, not driving.
Take them to The Green Project on a Thursday, Friday or Saturday. Six gallons is under its 10-gallon limit per drop-off. Keep the labels on and the lids tight.
There’s no year-round drop-off for this in New Orleans. The 2026 collection day was April 11 and has passed. Store the cans sealed, away from heat, and watch for the next date. Don’t pour it out or put it in the cart.
The Green Project won’t take musty, lumpy or dried paint. Mix runny leftovers with cat litter or hardener, let it set, and put the cans in the trash with lids off.
Watch The Green Project’s free paint page. After the city’s yearly collection day, it gives out usable water-based and oil-based paint to nonprofits, artists and residents, but not to contractors. The 2026 pickup week was April 21–25 and is over. Between giveaways, its recycled paint is for sale at 2831 Marais St.
Take usable latex paint to The Green Project, 2831 Marais St., Thursday to Saturday 11–5 (up to 10 gallons per drop-off). Oil-based paint has to wait for the city’s Orleans Parish hazardous waste day; the 2026 day was April 11 and is over, with no new date yet. Dry out unusable latex before it goes in the cart.
New Orleans has no year-round hazardous waste drop-off. Good latex paint can go to The Green Project in the Marigny-Bywater area, which turns it into recycled paint. Oil-based paint has to wait for the city’s once-a-year collection day for Orleans Parish residents. The 2026 day was April 11 and is over.
Bring usable latex to 2831 Marais St., Thursday to Saturday, 11 to 5. Use the double doors on Press Street by the marble yard. Cans need their label and must be at least one-third full. The limit is 10 gallons per drop-off; if you bring more, they ask you to consider a $1 donation for each extra gallon.
The city’s only household hazardous waste day in 2026 was Saturday, April 11, at the Elysian Fields drop-off center, and it is over. No fall date is listed. Keep oil paint, stain and thinner sealed in a cool spot and watch nola.gov for the next one.
2829 Elysian Fields Ave. is open every Saturday 8 a.m.–1 p.m. for recycling, glass, e-waste, batteries, bulbs and tires. Paint is only taken there on the hazardous waste day.
Liquid paint can’t go in your city cart. The Green Project says to dry an inch or two in the open can, or mix equal parts cat litter and paint, then put it out with the lid off. The city’s trash page lists paint as hazardous waste and doesn’t mention dried latex, so make sure it is hard all the way through.
The collection day is for Orleans Parish only, and you need a driver’s license or inspection sticker to prove it. Algiers and New Orleans East are in Orleans Parish, so they can use it. If you live in Jefferson Parish, ask your parish.
There’s no free store take-back in Louisiana; PaintCare doesn’t run a program here. Usable latex goes to The Green Project, which also sells its recycled paint. After the yearly collection day, the city and The Green Project give away sorted latex and oil-based paint from it to nonprofits, artists and residents, but not contractors. In 2026 that giveaway ran April 21–25 at Elysian Fields and is over.
For The Green Project, sort out the good latex: keep the label on, close the lid tight, and leave out anything lumpy, sour-smelling or less than a third full. For the collection day, put oil paint and thinner upright in a box in the trunk and bring your license or inspection sticker. Never pour paint into a storm drain or catch basin.
Full preparation checklist →No. It takes latex and water-based paint only. Oil paint, stain and spray paint go to the city’s hazardous waste day.
Not announced. The 2026 event was held April 11, and the city lists no other 2026 date. Check nola.gov/recycling-drop-off or call 311.
Not liquid paint. The city says hazardous waste, including paint, can’t go out with regular trash. Dried latex with the lid off is what The Green Project says can go in curbside trash.
At The Green Project, yes: it takes usable latex from businesses, up to 10 gallons per drop-off. The city collection day turns away businesses, so oil-based waste needs a licensed hazardous waste company.
The Green Project sells recycled latex in interior, exterior and primer blends, mixed weekly. After the city’s yearly collection day, it and the city give away usable paint to nonprofits, artists and residents. The 2026 giveaway (April 21–25) is over.
October 12, 2026 (peer-checked the same day): read The Green Project’s paint recycling, paint disposal and free paint pages; the city’s April 8, 2026 notice for the April 11 hazardous waste day; nola.gov’s Recycling Drop-Off Center, trash and Sanitation pages; and Louisiana DEQ’s parish recycling list. PaintCare’s locator lists The Green Project as a non-program site for New Orleans households and businesses, Thursday to Saturday. The Green Project’s paint page gives drop-off as Thursday to Saturday; its footer lists store hours Wednesday to Saturday. Above 10 gallons it says you “may make” a $1 donation per extra gallon, so we call it optional. The city’s trash page calls latex paint hazardous waste and doesn’t address dried latex; the drying steps come from The Green Project, which says dried cans can go in the curbside trash. The free paint page lists 8 a.m.–1 p.m. for the 2026 pickup week; the city notice said 9 a.m.–1 p.m. Both are past. Not found: any fall 2026 or 2027 collection date, and Jefferson Parish rules (not researched). Update this guide when the city posts its next collection day.
Checked October 12, 2026 against these sources, not by phone. How we research.
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