Drop it off free
6 free paint drop-off sites within 12 miles.
- EnviroServePaint store1.1 mi
- Sherwin-WilliamsPaint store2.6 mi
- Sherwin-WilliamsPaint store3 mi
Auburn, ME Paint Disposal
Everything you need to get rid of leftover paint responsibly in Auburn.
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Book a pickup $89 minimum · No next-day surcharge
All drop-off locations in and near Auburn9
Start with these
Sherwin-Williams — Center Street, Auburn, Maine (PaintCare drop-off)
445 Center St, Auburn, ME 04210
- Accepts
- Latex and oil-based house paint, stain and varnish in original labeled containers up to 5 gallons. No spray cans, and no leaking, unlabeled or empty containers.
- Who can use it
- Maine households and businesses, according to PaintCare.
- Hours
- PaintCare says paint is taken during regular store hours. We didn't check store hours; call first.
- Load limits
- 5 gallons per visit.
- Fees
- Free for paint.
Across the river, Sherwin-Williams at 1168 Lisbon St in Lewiston (207-784-2939) has the same rules. Lewiston's city page also points residents to that store for paint.
EnviroServe, Auburn (PaintCare drop-off for 50–199 gallons)
664 Washington St N, Auburn, ME 04211
- Accepts
- Latex and oil-based house paint, stain and varnish in containers up to 5 gallons. No spray cans, and no leaking, unlabeled or empty containers.
- Who can use it
- Households and businesses, according to PaintCare.
- Hours
- By appointment, Monday–Friday, 8 am–1 pm, according to PaintCare.
- Load limits
- For loads of 50 to 199 gallons, by appointment only. Smaller loads go to a PaintCare store; 100 gallons or more can also use PaintCare's free pickup.
- Fees
- Free for paint under PaintCare.
Lewiston's city page lists this business as Environmental Projects Inc., 664 Washington St., Auburn, with the same phone, and says to call before you arrive. It warns that containers over 5 gallons or without labels may be refused. The ZIP code 04211 comes from PaintCare's listing; Lewiston's page gives no ZIP. Use the street address for directions.
AVCOG Environmental Depot (Lewiston Solid Waste facility)
424 River Rd, Lewiston, ME 04240
- Accepts
- Thinner and strippers, solvents, auto and marine paint, artists' paint, primers and wood preservatives, aerosols, fuels, pesticides, pool chemicals and more. NOT house paint. AVCOG's list says: "Oil and Latex Paints - allowed at satellite events but not at the Lewiston Environmental Depot."
- Who can use it
- Maine residents and property owners. Households only; Lewiston says no business waste.
- Hours
- Third Saturday of each month, May through October, 8–11:45 am. The last 2026 date is set for Saturday, October 17, 2026. AVCOG hasn't posted 2027 dates.
- Load limits
- Fees and allowances are counted in units. One unit is up to 5 gallons of liquid or 20 pounds of dry waste.
- Fees
- Lewiston pays for its residents' first two units, then $37.50 a unit. AVCOG says people from participating towns (Auburn is one) pay $42 a unit once over their town's limit. Member towns that don't participate pay $45 a unit; towns outside AVCOG's region pay $50 a unit. Cash or check only.
Stay in your car; staff unload it. Keep products in their original containers, never mix them, and bag any that leak. The depot is closed when a Saturday falls outside the listed dates.
6 PaintCare drop-off sites within 12 miles of Auburn.
6 paint stores and 0 hazardous waste sites, 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 Maine
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.
EnviroServe
1.1 mi664 Washington St N, Auburn, ME 04211
- Who
- Households and Businesses
- Hours
- By appointment. Monday-Friday 8am-1pm
- Limits
- For Households and Businesses with 50 to 199 gallons of paint by appointment only.
Sherwin-Williams
2.6 mi445 Center St, Auburn, ME 04210
- Limits
- Limit: 5 gallons per visit.
Sherwin-Williams
3 mi1168 Lisbon St, Lewiston, ME 04240
- Limits
- Limit: 5 gallons per visit.
Depot Square Hardware
7.4 mi9 Depot Sq, Mechanic Falls, ME 04256
- Limits
- Limit: 5 gallons per visit.
Aubuchon Ace Hardware
10.3 mi572 Lisbon St, Lisbon Falls, ME 04252
- Limits
- Limit: 5 gallons per visit.
Greene Transfer Station
10.3 mi281 Quaker Ridge Rd, Greene, ME 04236
- Who
- Households Only (No Businesses) in Greene
- Hours
- Wednesday, 8am - 5pm, Friday 8am - 5pm, Saturday, 8am - 5pm
- Limits
- Limit: 5 gallons per visit.
- 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. This site will accept empty 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 Auburn cleanout?4
You're clearing a basement with paint and chemicals
Split the load. Take house paint to Sherwin-Williams, 5 gallons a visit. Keep thinner, pesticides and spray cans for the Lewiston depot's third-Saturday season, May to October.
You manage rentals and have 60 gallons
Call EnviroServe on Washington St N for an appointment. PaintCare lists it for 50 to 199 gallons from households or businesses.
You're a contractor with 100 gallons or more
Ask PaintCare for a free pickup. Lewiston says its depot can't take business waste.
You have old spray paint
PaintCare stores won't take spray cans. AVCOG's depot list includes aerosols, so bring them on a depot Saturday.
Auburn rules and tips5
THE LOCAL ANSWER
Take up to 5 gallons of house paint, stain or varnish to Sherwin-Williams, 445 Center St in Auburn, during store hours; call 207-241-2849 first. For 50 to 199 gallons, book a weekday drop-off at EnviroServe, 664 Washington St N. Thinner and other chemicals go to AVCOG's Lewiston depot, which runs on third Saturdays from May to October and doesn't take house paint.
Auburn, Maine, sits across the Androscoggin River from Lewiston in Androscoggin County, and the two cities share most of their paint options. House paint goes to a PaintCare store: Sherwin-Williams on Center Street in Auburn or on Lisbon Street in Lewiston. Maine Waste to Energy won't take paint, and paint isn't on Auburn Public Works' drop-off list. AVCOG's depot in Lewiston takes thinner and chemicals, but not house paint.
Don't take paint to Goldthwaite or Gracelawn Road
Maine Waste to Energy at 110 Goldthwaite takes Auburn's bulky waste but won't take paint or any liquids. The Public Works garage at 296 Gracelawn Road takes electronics and fluorescent bulbs for free, but paint isn't on its list.
The Lewiston depot is for chemicals, not paint
Auburn's page says residents can bring hazardous waste to AVCOG on the third Saturday, May to October. That's the depot at 424 River Road in Lewiston. AVCOG's list says: "Oil and Latex Paints - allowed at satellite events but not at the Lewiston Environmental Depot." Bring thinner, spray cans and pesticides; take the paint to a store.
Big loads go to Washington Street
PaintCare lists EnviroServe, 664 Washington St N, for 50 to 199 gallons from households or businesses, by appointment, weekdays 8 am–1 pm. Lewiston's city page lists 664 Washington St. and the same phone, 207-786-7390, under the name Environmental Projects Inc.
Auburn's free allowance isn't posted
Lewiston pays for its residents' first two units at the depot. Auburn is a participating town, and AVCOG charges $42 a unit once you're over your town's limit, but the pages we read don't say Auburn's limit. One unit is 5 gallons or 20 pounds. Call AVCOG at 207-783-9186, and bring cash or a check.
Neighboring towns have their own spots
PaintCare lists Depot Square Hardware in Mechanic Falls and Aubuchon Ace in Lisbon Falls for anyone in Maine. PaintCare also lists the Greene transfer station for Greene households only, Wednesday, Friday and Saturday, 8 am–5 pm.
Free pickup programs and other options
Sherwin-Williams at 1168 Lisbon St in Lewiston (207-784-2939) takes 5 gallons per visit. AVCOG's 2026 satellite collections for participating towns, including Auburn, took oil and latex paint, but they're all over; the last was in Bethel on August 29. The Lewiston depot's last 2026 date is set for Saturday, October 17, 2026, and no 2027 dates are posted. Maine DEP says Riverside Recycling in Portland also takes household hazardous waste from all Maine residents; check its hours and fees first. For 100 gallons or more, ask PaintCare for a free pickup.
Getting your paint ready
Keep paint in its original labeled can with the lid on tight. Stores won't take leaking, unlabeled or empty cans, or spray cans. For the depot, keep chemicals in their own containers, never mix them, bag anything that leaks and put it all in a box in your trunk.
Full preparation checklist →Auburn questions5
Where can I recycle paint in Auburn, Maine?
At Sherwin-Williams, 445 Center St, up to 5 gallons a visit during store hours. Call 207-241-2849 first. Sherwin-Williams on Lisbon St in Lewiston takes paint too.
Can I take paint to the Lewiston Environmental Depot?
No. AVCOG's list says: "Oil and Latex Paints - allowed at satellite events but not at the Lewiston Environmental Depot." The depot takes thinner, solvents, spray cans, pesticides and similar chemicals.
When is the next hazardous waste day for Auburn residents?
AVCOG's last 2026 Lewiston depot date is set for Saturday, October 17, 2026, 8–11:45 am. After that, watch AVCOG's page for the 2027 schedule, which has run May to October.
I have 80 gallons of paint from rental units. Where does it go?
Book an appointment at EnviroServe, 664 Washington St N, which PaintCare lists for 50 to 199 gallons. At 100 gallons or more, you can also ask PaintCare for a free pickup.
Can I put latex paint in my Auburn trash?
Auburn's pages don't say. Liquid latex is free to drop off at a PaintCare store, so that's the simplest choice.
Sources and how we checked11
Checked October 16, 2026 from the City of Auburn's trash and recycling, bulky waste and residential waste pages, AVCOG's hazardous waste page, item list and 2026 schedule, the City of Lewiston's hazardous waste page, Maine DEP's household hazardous waste page and PaintCare's Maine page and locator data; no calls or visits. Older flyers found online say the depot took oil-based paint; AVCOG's current list says it doesn't, so we follow AVCOG. Lewiston's page lists EnviroServe's site as Environmental Projects Inc., 664 Washington St., with no ZIP; PaintCare gives 04211, which we use. We didn't find how many free units Auburn covers or whether Auburn requires proof of residency at the depot. Auburn's pages don't address dried latex in trash. The October 17 depot date is the day after review; update the guide once it has passed. We didn't check store hours.
Checked October 16, 2026 against these sources, not by phone. How we research.
City of Auburn: Trash & Recycling ↗City of Auburn: Household Bulky Waste (Maine Waste to Energy) ↗City of Auburn: Residential Waste Disposal (Public Works garage) ↗AVCOG household hazardous waste (2026 dates, towns and fees) ↗AVCOG accepted and unaccepted hazardous items ↗AVCOG 2026 HHW schedule (PDF) ↗City of Lewiston: Household Hazardous Waste Disposal ↗Maine DEP: household hazardous waste ↗PaintCare Maine ↗PaintCare drop-off site locator ↗PaintCare large-volume pickup ↗
