Drop it off free
2 free paint drop-off sites within 12 miles.
- Sherwin-WilliamsPaint store1.9 mi
- Freeborn County HHW FacilityHazardous waste site2.2 mi
- D and G Ace HardwarePaint store18.7 mi
Albert Lea, MN Paint Disposal
Everything you need to get rid of leftover paint responsibly in Albert Lea.
NOW AVAILABLE IN ALBERT LEA
Paint recycling pickup. Book online.
Book a pickup $89 minimum · No next-day surcharge
All drop-off locations in and near Albert Lea4
Start with these
Freeborn County Environmental Services (Household Hazardous Waste), Albert Lea
2020 Pioneer Trail, Albert Lea, MN 56007
- Accepts
- Paint plus other household hazardous waste: solvents, fuels, oils, antifreeze, insect and weed killer, farm chemicals, pool chemicals, roofing tar, batteries, fluorescent bulbs and more. Sharps are taken too.
- Who can use it
- Freeborn County residents only. The county doesn't take commercial or business hazardous waste.
- Hours
- Household hazardous waste, including paint: Wednesdays only, 9 am–3 pm. The county says its state contract doesn't let it take hazardous waste outside those hours. No collections during Freeborn County Fair week. The office is open Monday–Friday, 8 am–5 pm, for questions. The city's page says "or by appointment," but the county says it can't take hazardous waste outside Wednesday hours.
- Load limits
- PaintCare lists 100 gallons per visit. The City of Albert Lea says more than two carriable boxes needs an appointment; call 507-377-5186.
- Fees
- Free for Freeborn County residents.
The site is at the east end of Hammer Road, behind the Sorensen Bros. building where T&W Towing is. Bring items in boxes if you can. The Re-Use Room here gives away usable paint, stains and cleaners to Freeborn County residents on Wednesdays, 9 am–3 pm.
Sherwin-Williams — Hendrickson Road, Albert Lea (PaintCare drop-off)
2328 Hendrickson Rd, Albert Lea, MN 56007
- Accepts
- House paint (latex or oil-based), stain and varnish, each container 5 gallons or smaller and still wearing its original label. Spray paint, leaky cans and empty cans are turned away.
- Who can use it
- Anyone in Minnesota, home or business, according to PaintCare. It's the only Albert Lea option for business paint, since the county site is for residents only.
- Hours
- Any day the store is open, per PaintCare's listing. That makes it the Albert Lea choice when Wednesday doesn't work. Phone the store to confirm today's hours.
- Load limits
- Up to 5 gallons each trip.
- Fees
- No charge to drop off paint.
It's the only PaintCare store in Albert Lea in PaintCare's data. The next nearest stores are in Austin. No spray paint or other aerosols.
2 PaintCare drop-off sites within 12 miles of Albert Lea.
3 paint stores and 2 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 Minnesota
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.
Sherwin-Williams
1.9 mi2328 Hendrickson Rd, Albert Lea, MN 56007
- Limits
- Limit: 5 gallons per visit.
Freeborn County HHW Facility
2.2 mi2020 Pioneer Tr, Albert Lea, MN 56007
- Who
- Households Only (No Businesses) in Freeborn County
- Hours
- Wednesday 9 am - 3 pm
- Limits
- Limit: 100 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 also takes most other household hazardous waste -- contact the site for details and restrictions. Please do not bring empty, leaking or unlabeled containers.
D and G Ace Hardware
18.7 mi1417 1st Ave SW, Austin, MN 55912
- Limits
- Limit: 10 gallons per visit.
Sherwin-Williams
18.8 mi1300 18th Ave NW, Austin, MN 55912
- Limits
- Limit: 5 gallons per visit.
Mower County Recycling & Household Hazardous Waste Facility
20.2 mi1111 8th Ave NE, Austin, MN 55912
- Who
- Households Only (No Businesses) in Freeborn and Mower Counties
- Hours
- Wednesdays only 8 am - 12 pm and 1 pm - 5 pm
- Limits
- Limit: 200 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 also takes most other household hazardous waste -- contact the site for details and restrictions. Please do not bring empty, leaking or unlabeled 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 Albert Lea cleanout?4
You work every Wednesday
House paint can go to the Hendrickson Road Sherwin-Williams instead, 5 gallons per trip. A half-used can of latex can be dried out completely and put in the trash. Aerosols, thinner and auto fluids still need a Wednesday at Pioneer Trail, since the county takes no hazardous waste on other days.
You're clearing out a family home
Call 507-377-5186 for an appointment, since more than two carriable boxes needs one. The county takes up to 100 gallons a visit, according to PaintCare.
You paint apartments for a living
Freeborn County turns away commercial waste, even on Wednesdays. Run small batches to Sherwin-Williams; once leftovers pass 100 gallons, PaintCare will collect them at no cost.
You want stain for a fence touch-up
Look in the Re-Use Room at Pioneer Trail before buying. Leftover paint and stain from drop-offs is free to Freeborn County residents on Wednesdays.
Albert Lea rules and tips6
THE LOCAL ANSWER
Bring paint to Freeborn County Environmental Services, 2020 Pioneer Trail in Albert Lea, on a Wednesday between 9 am and 3 pm; it's free for county residents. If you have more than two boxes, call 507-377-5186 first. Other days, Sherwin-Williams on Hendrickson Road takes up to 5 gallons.
In Albert Lea, Minnesota, the Freeborn County seat, paint goes to Freeborn County Environmental Services at 2020 Pioneer Trail, at the east end of Hammer Road. It takes household hazardous waste only on Wednesdays, 9 am–3 pm, free for Freeborn County residents. On other days, Sherwin-Williams on Hendrickson Road takes up to 5 gallons. The city transfer station doesn't take paint.
Wednesday is the only drop-off day
The county takes paint and other hazardous waste Wednesdays, 9 am–3 pm. It says its state contract doesn't let it take hazardous waste at any other time, even though the office is open weekdays. There are no collections during Freeborn County Fair week.
More than two boxes? Call first
The City of Albert Lea says more than two boxes you can carry needs an appointment. Call Freeborn County at 507-377-5186. PaintCare lists a 100-gallon limit per visit.
Finding the site
The county site is at the east end of Hammer Road, behind the Sorensen Bros. building where T&W Towing is. Bring items in boxes if you can.
Free paint in the Re-Use Room
Usable paint, stains and cleaners dropped off at the site go to the county's Re-Use Room. Freeborn County residents can take them free on Wednesdays, 9 am–3 pm.
The transfer station is the wrong stop
Albert Lea's transfer station takes garbage, appliances, electronics, tires, brush and waste oil. Paint isn't on that list, and its demolition landfill refuses paints, thinners, solvents and varnishes. Freeborn County's flyer does put fully dried latex in the trash.
Bring old electronics on the same trip
Wednesday is also electronics day at Pioneer Trail: $10 for flat screens, computers, printers and microwaves, $20 for console, projection and 32-inch or larger tube TVs; cords, mice and keyboards are free. Card, cash or check. Old eyeglasses, hearing aids and pop tabs are collected for the Lions Club.
Free pickup programs and other options
The nearest other PaintCare stores are east in Austin, and our Austin guide covers them. PaintCare's listing for Mower County's Austin site names Freeborn households too, but Mower County's own page says Mower residents with ID only, so call 507-437-9551 before you make that drive. It's open Wednesdays as well, so it doesn't help if Wednesday is the problem. Steele County's site near Blooming Prairie is free for Steele County residents and open May through September only. A contractor or landlord with 100 gallons or more can have PaintCare pick it up free.
Getting your paint ready
Hammer the lids down and leave the labels on. Box the cans; the county asks for boxes when possible, and don't tape fluorescent tubes together. Hazardous waste drop-off is for Freeborn County residents only. Latex that has fully dried out can go in the garbage, according to the county's flyer.
Full preparation checklist →Albert Lea questions5
What's the paint drop-off in Albert Lea called, and when is it open?
Freeborn County Environmental Services, 2020 Pioneer Trail, takes paint Wednesdays from 9 to 3. County residents pay nothing. Questions: 507-377-5186.
Is anything open on Saturday for paint?
Only the Sherwin-Williams on Hendrickson Rd, if it's open that day; it takes 5 gallons. Phone 507-373-2767. The county site is Wednesday only.
Is dried latex OK in Freeborn County garbage?
Yes. The county's disposal chart lists dried latex paint, along with dried spackle and caulk, under 'put in trash.' Wet paint goes to Pioneer Trail or Sherwin-Williams.
My shop has old paint. Can Freeborn County take it?
No; its hazardous waste days are for residents only, though it does take business electronics. Sherwin-Williams accepts business paint 5 gallons at a time, and PaintCare picks up 100 gallons or more free.
Does the Albert Lea transfer station take paint?
No. The city's transfer station takes trash, tires, brush and similar items, and paint isn't on its list. Its demolition landfill lists paints as not accepted. Freeborn County handles hazardous waste.
Sources and how we checked8
On October 16, 2026 we read Freeborn County's HHW web page, the scanned 2026 HHW and electronics flyer, the Re-Use Room flyer, Albert Lea's waste disposal page and Mower County's HHW page, and pulled PaintCare's Minnesota listings. Nobody was called and no site was visited. The two-box appointment rule comes from the city's page, not the county's. The city page also says "or by appointment," while the county says it can't take hazardous waste outside Wednesday hours. The 100-gallon limit comes only from PaintCare. PaintCare lists Mower County's site for Freeborn households, but Mower's page says Mower residents only. Neither county page says what ID to bring. We didn't find the 2027 county fair dates or check store hours.
Checked October 16, 2026 against these sources, not by phone. How we research.
Freeborn County Recycling & Household Hazardous Waste ↗Freeborn County 2026 HHW and electronics flyer ↗Freeborn County Re-Use Room flyer ↗City of Albert Lea: Waste Disposal and Recycling (transfer station) ↗Mower County Recycling & Household Hazardous Waste ↗PaintCare Minnesota ↗PaintCare drop-off site locator ↗PaintCare large-volume pickup ↗
