Drop it off free
2 free paint drop-off sites within 12 miles.
- S W Collins CoPaint store0.7 mi
- Sherwin-WilliamsPaint store0.7 mi
Houlton, ME Paint Disposal
Everything you need to get rid of leftover paint responsibly in Houlton.
NOW AVAILABLE IN HOULTON
Paint recycling pickup. Book online.
Book a pickup $89 minimum · No next-day surcharge
All drop-off locations in and near Houlton4
Start with these
Sherwin-Williams — Smyrna Street, Houlton (PaintCare drop-off)
2 Smyrna St, Houlton, ME 04730
- Accepts
- House paint, stain and varnish, latex or oil-based, in cans up to 5 gallons that still have the maker's label. Spray paint, empty cans and leaky cans stay home.
- Who can use it
- Any Maine household or business, according to PaintCare, so people from Linneus, Ludlow, Monticello or Oakfield can use it too.
- Hours
- During regular store hours, PaintCare says. We didn't check this store's hours; call 207-532-2558 first.
- Load limits
- 5 gallons per visit. With more, the S W Collins store on Bangor Street is the other Houlton drop-off.
- Fees
- Free for paint.
Thinner, turpentine and solvents aren't taken; NMDC's summer collections list those. Call before bringing a full 5 gallons.
S W Collins Co — Bangor Street, Houlton (PaintCare drop-off)
57 Bangor St, Houlton, ME 04730
- Accepts
- Leftover house paint, stain and varnish, water-based or oil-based, in their original labeled cans of 5 gallons or less. Not spray paint, and not empty or leaking cans.
- Who can use it
- Maine households and businesses, according to PaintCare. You don't need to live in Houlton.
- Hours
- During regular store hours, PaintCare says. We didn't check this store's hours; call 207-532-2263 first.
- Load limits
- 5 gallons per visit. Sherwin-Williams on Smyrna Street takes another 5.
- Fees
- Free for paint.
PaintCare also lists S W Collins stores at 21 Rice St in Presque Isle (207-764-2720) and 6 Washburn St in Caribou (207-496-0103), with the same 5-gallon limit.
2 PaintCare drop-off sites within 12 miles of Houlton.
2 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.
S W Collins Co
0.7 mi57 Bangor St, Houlton, ME 04730
- Limits
- Limit: 5 gallons per visit.
Sherwin-Williams
0.7 mi2 Smyrna St, Houlton, ME 04730
- 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 Houlton cleanout?4
You're moving and have 12 cans of house paint
Split them across the two Houlton stores, 5 gallons each per visit, and come back for the rest. Call ahead so they have room.
You have half-empty cans of dried latex
If the paint is solid, NMDC says the can may go out with your regular garbage.
You have thinner, turpentine and old pesticides
Hold them for an NMDC summer collection. For pesticides, watch for next year's Board of Pesticides Control registration; 2026 registration closed October 5.
You're a contractor with a big load
At 100 gallons or more, ask PaintCare for a free pickup. Below that, use the stores, 5 gallons a visit.
Houlton rules and tips5
THE LOCAL ANSWER
Take up to 5 gallons of house paint, stain or varnish per visit to Sherwin-Williams, 2 Smyrna St (207-532-2558), or S W Collins, 57 Bangor St (207-532-2263); call first. Thinner and other chemicals wait for a Northern Maine Development Commission collection, which it holds in summer; no 2026 date was posted. Dried paint can go in household trash, NMDC says.
Houlton, in southern Aroostook County, Maine, has two stores that take old paint for free through PaintCare: Sherwin-Williams on Smyrna Street and S W Collins on Bangor Street. There's no year-round hazardous waste site in the area. The Bangor guide covers Penobscot County; its stores and rules are separate.
Two stores, 5 gallons each
Each Houlton PaintCare store takes 5 gallons a visit. With 10 gallons, you can split it between Sherwin-Williams on Smyrna Street and S W Collins on Bangor Street. Both take paint from Maine households and businesses.
Hazardous waste days are run regionally
The Northern Maine Development Commission, which serves Aroostook and Washington counties, organizes yearly household hazardous waste collections in the summer. Its list includes turpentine, varnish, thinner, solvents and pesticides. We didn't find a 2026 date on its page, so check with NMDC before you count on one.
Dry paint can go in the trash
NMDC says liquid paint, latex or oil-based, can't go in the trash. Open the can and let it dry, or add kitty litter or paint hardener; once it's dry, it can go out with regular garbage. Liquid house paint is easier: take it to a store.
Houlton shares a region with nearby towns
NMDC lists Houlton in its Southern Aroostook Region with Bridgewater, Cary Plantation, Cox Patent, Hodgdon, Linneus, Ludlow, Monticello and Oakfield. The two Houlton stores are open to anyone in Maine, so residents of those towns can use them too.
Town Public Works lists no paint drop-off
Houlton's Public Works page gives a partial list of its jobs: streets, sidewalks, storm drains, the airport, and helping monitor the closed town landfill. It lists no trash or paint drop-off, so the two stores are the local paint option we found.
Free pickup programs and other options
PaintCare also lists S W Collins at 21 Rice St in Presque Isle and 6 Washburn St in Caribou, both 5 gallons a visit. Maine DEP says the Environmental Depot in Lewiston and Riverside Recycling in Portland take household hazardous waste from all Maine residents; check their hours and fees first. For 100 gallons or more, ask PaintCare for a free pickup.
Getting your paint ready
Bring paint in the can it came in, label showing, lid hammered shut. Houlton's two stores turn away spray cans, empties and leakers. If you dry a can out for the trash instead, NMDC suggests kitty litter or a paint hardener to speed it up.
Full preparation checklist →Houlton questions5
Where can I recycle paint in Houlton, Maine?
At Sherwin-Williams, 2 Smyrna St, or S W Collins, 57 Bangor St. Each takes 5 gallons a visit for free. Call first.
Is there a hazardous waste day in Aroostook County?
The Northern Maine Development Commission holds collections in the summer. We didn't find a 2026 date, so check NMDC's page.
Can I throw old paint in the trash in Houlton?
Only when it's dry. NMDC says to let latex or oil-based paint dry in the can, or add kitty litter or hardener, before putting it in the garbage.
Do the Houlton stores take spray paint?
No. PaintCare stores don't take spray cans. Keep them for a hazardous waste collection.
I'm a contractor with 120 gallons. What do I do?
Ask PaintCare for a free large-volume pickup, which starts at 100 gallons. For business chemicals other than paint, NMDC points businesses to Maine DEP's Presque Isle office, 207-764-0477.
Sources and how we checked7
Checked October 16, 2026 from PaintCare's Maine page, large-volume page and locator data, NMDC's waste management page, Maine DEP's household hazardous waste page, the Board of Pesticides Control's July 21, 2026 bulletin and the Town of Houlton's website; no calls or visits. The town's website has no trash, transfer station or paint page; its Public Works page doesn't mention solid waste. We found only third-party listings and old news stories about the Pine Tree Waste transfer station in Houlton, so we don't list it or say whether it takes paint. NMDC posts no 2026 collection date or phone number on its page. NMDC spells Hodgdon "Hodgon" and also lists Monticello and Oakfield under its independent towns. Store hours weren't checked.
Checked October 16, 2026 against these sources, not by phone. How we research.
