Everything you need to get rid of leftover paint responsibly in Bourne.
201 MacArthur Boulevard, Bourne, MA 02532
Barnstable County’s page says both that some towns accept latex and that latex is not hazardous waste; PaintCare’s listing for this event says no latex. Dry or absorb latex instead. Questions: Anthony Gerace, 1-800-319-2783 (the visitor form lists 774-487-8802).
201 MacArthur Boulevard, Bourne, MA 02532
Extension 4238 is the recycling center; ext. 4 is the ISWM office. The 2026 policy says the off-season runs Wednesday–Monday from Labor Day. The town’s ISWM page says the off-season runs September 15, 2026 until Memorial Day weekend 2027, Wednesday–Saturday, with no Sunday service. Call before a Sunday or Monday trip.
83 Gilmore Drive, Sutton, MA 01590
A private, paid site, not a town program. Prices are from Veolia’s posted list; call before loading up. Veolia also quotes paid home pickups anywhere in Massachusetts.
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.
201 MacArthur Blvd, Bourne, MA 02532
750 W Tisbury Rd, Edgartown, MA 02539
120 Theophilus Smith Rd, South Dennis, MA 02660-3414
, Marshfield, MA 02050
201 Run Hill Rd, Brewster, MA 02631
From PaintCare’s drop-off map ↗, updated October 6, 2026. Hours and limits are PaintCare’s. Distances are straight-line, not driving.
Keep it sealed in the original can. If the October 17, 2026 collection at the landfill has passed, hold it for the 2027 Upper Cape dates. If you can’t wait, pay Veolia to take it at its Sutton center or to pick it up.
If the cottage is in Bourne or another Upper Cape town, the county counts you as a resident, so the regional collections are free for you. If you live elsewhere on the Cape, register as a visitor and pay a quoted fee. With the 2026 collections over, store sealed cans somewhere dry until spring, or use Veolia.
Mix anything over two inches deep with clay kitty litter until it won’t stir, then trash it. Let thin leftovers dry in the open can, then recycle the empty can.
Businesses must register with the county at least two weeks before a collection and pay what the town pays. Commercial waste isn’t allowed at Bourne’s recycling center.
Dry out latex paint, or mix it with clay kitty litter, and put it in your Bourne trash. For oil-based paint, stain or varnish, the year-round option is paid: Veolia’s drop-off center in Sutton or a Veolia home pickup. The free options are seasonal: the recycling center’s 2026 paint season ran March 21–October 3 (2027 dates aren’t posted yet), and Upper Cape hazardous waste collections run April through October; the last 2026 one was set for October 17.
In Bourne, at the Cape Cod Canal in Barnstable County, Massachusetts, latex paint can go in the trash once it’s dried or mixed with kitty litter. Oil-based paint is harder: Bourne’s two free options are both seasonal. The town’s recycling center on MacArthur Boulevard took paint from sticker holders from March 21 to October 3, 2026. The free Upper Cape hazardous waste collection for Bourne, Falmouth, Mashpee, Sandwich and Joint Base Cape Cod was set for Saturday, October 17, 2026, at the Bourne Landfill, the last 2026 date. Between those, the year-round option is a paid one. Massachusetts has no PaintCare program.
Latex isn’t hazardous waste. The paint tips sheet on the town’s site says to stir clay-based kitty litter into more than two inches of latex until you can’t stir, then put it in the trash. Less than two inches can dry in the open can outdoors, away from kids and pets.
The four 2026 Upper Cape collections were set for April 18 (Sandwich), June 20 (Falmouth), August 22 (Mashpee) and October 17 (Bourne Landfill, 201 MacArthur Boulevard), all 9 a.m.–1 p.m. They take oil-based paint, stain, varnish and thinner, free for residents of Bourne, Falmouth, Mashpee, Sandwich and Joint Base Cape Cod. Bourne’s policy says regional days are held April through October, with dates announced later. Watch the town’s ISWM page for 2027.
Bourne’s 2026 recycling center policy took paint March 21 through October 3, up to 10 cans a day, from sticker holders. The town hasn’t posted 2027 paint dates, so check before you load the car.
Barnstable County treats you as a resident of any Cape town you live in for any part of the year. So a summer home in Bourne lets you use the Upper Cape collections. Bourne’s recycling center sticker is different: it needs proof of residence such as a tax bill, lease or deed.
Bourne’s Swap Shop at the recycling center lists paint and hazardous products as things you may not leave there.
2026 stickers cost $30 for the first and $15 for a second, or $20 and $10 for seniors 60 and over, paid by Mastercard, Visa or check. You need a license, vehicle registration and a tax bill, lease or deed. Out-of-town residents go over the scale and pay by weight.
Between collections, the year-round option is Veolia’s paid center in Sutton, which takes latex and oil-based paint by the pound. Veolia also quotes paid home pickups anywhere in Massachusetts. If you live elsewhere on Cape Cod and miss your own town’s collection, the county’s visitor form lets you attend another town’s event for a quoted fee.
Keep oil-based paint and stain in their original cans with lids sealed. Look for words like “alkyd,” “mineral spirits” or “oil” on the label; those are hazardous. Bring proof that you live in Bourne or another Upper Cape community. For latex, use clay-based kitty litter or let small amounts dry, and leave empty cans open to dry before recycling them with metal cans.
Full preparation checklist →Bourne’s 2026 collection was set for Saturday, October 17, 2026, 9 a.m.–1 p.m., at the Bourne Landfill, 201 MacArthur Boulevard, the last Upper Cape date of 2026. The town says regional collections run April through October; 2027 dates aren’t posted yet.
Plan on no. PaintCare’s listing for the Bourne collection says no latex, and the county says latex isn’t hazardous. Dry it out or mix it with kitty litter and put it in the trash.
Only during its paint season. In 2026 that ran March 21 through October 3, with a 10-can daily limit, for sticker holders. The town hasn’t posted 2027 dates.
Yes. The collections are regional for Bourne, Falmouth, Mashpee, Sandwich and Joint Base Cape Cod, and residents can use any of the four without registering. Bring proof of residency.
Bourne ISWM, 508-759-0600 ext. 4 (office) or ext. 4238 (recycling center). For the collections, Barnstable County at 1-800-319-2783 or the program manager at 774-487-8802.
October 16, 2026: read Bourne’s 2026 HHW page, Barnstable County’s 2026 HHW page, its Upper Cape card and visitor authorization form (PDFs, read with pdftotext), the town’s Calendar Year 2026 recycling center policy (image PDF, viewed as rendered pages), the ISWM page, the out-of-town access news item, the Paint Management Tips sheet (Cape Cod Cooperative Extension, dated 6/05), and Veolia’s pages. PaintCare’s locator data lists the October 17 collection with no latex; that is the only source that rules latex out. Peer review the same day: the guide was reworded so it still reads correctly after October 17; the “April through October” season comes from Bourne’s policy, not the county page; the county page does not name Veolia, so that claim was removed; the visitor form says part-year Cape residents count as residents and visitor fees are quoted by the program manager. Conflicts: the 2026 policy lists off-season hours Wednesday–Monday, while the ISWM page says Wednesday–Saturday from September 15 with no Sunday service; the county page says both that some towns take latex and that latex isn’t hazardous waste. Not found: whether the recycling center paint season takes latex, oil-based or both; 2027 paint season and collection dates; and a quantity limit for residents at the collection. A Cape News brief seen only in search results said the paint shed closed October 3 and mentioned latex; the link now returns 404, so only the date (which the town policy confirms) is used.
Checked October 16, 2026 against these sources, not by phone. How we research.
