Drop it off free
3 free paint drop-off sites within 12 miles.
- D and G Ace HardwarePaint store0.8 mi
- Mower County Recycling & Household Hazardous Waste FacilityHazardous waste site0.8 mi
- Sherwin-WilliamsPaint store1.1 mi
Austin, MN Paint Disposal
Everything you need to get rid of leftover paint responsibly in Austin.
NOW AVAILABLE IN AUSTIN
Paint recycling pickup. Book online.
Book a pickup $89 minimum · No next-day surcharge
All drop-off locations in and near Austin6
Start with these
Mower County Recycling Center and Household Hazardous Waste Facility, Austin
1111 8th Ave NE, Austin, MN 55912
- Accepts
- Paint, deck stain, paint stripper, solvents and thinners, turpentine, driveway sealer, oil, antifreeze, pesticides and other items on the county list. PaintCare lists latex and oil-based paint, stain and varnish in containers up to 5 gallons.
- Who can use it
- Mower County residents 18 or older, who must be able to show a driver's license or other ID if asked, per the county. PaintCare's listing also names Freeborn County; the county page doesn't. No businesses, per PaintCare.
- Hours
- Hazardous waste: Wednesdays only, 8 am–noon and 1–5 pm. The recycling office is open Monday–Friday, 8 am–4 pm.
- Load limits
- PaintCare lists 200 gallons per visit. No empty, leaking or unlabeled containers.
- Fees
- No charge is listed for household paint. TVs, monitors, microwaves and dehumidifiers cost $10.
Wait for staff. The county says waste left before it is accepted counts as illegal dumping. The free Reuse Room, with leftover paint and cleaners, is open the same Wednesday hours. The 24/7 recycling drive-up windows on the west side of the building are for recycling only, not paint.
D and G Ace Hardware — 1st Ave SW, Austin (PaintCare drop-off)
1417 1st Ave SW, Austin, MN 55912
- Accepts
- Latex and oil-based house paint, stain and varnish in original labeled containers up to 5 gallons. No spray cans, and no leaking or empty containers.
- Who can use it
- Minnesota 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
- 10 gallons per visit.
- Fees
- Free for paint.
Its 10-gallon limit is double the 5 gallons at Austin's Sherwin-Williams. No thinner or spray paint.
Sherwin-Williams — 18th Ave NW, Austin (PaintCare drop-off)
1300 18th Ave NW, Austin, MN 55912
- Accepts
- Latex and oil-based house paint, stain and varnish in original labeled containers up to 5 gallons. No spray cans, and no leaking or empty containers.
- Who can use it
- Minnesota 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.
On the northwest side of town. Call before bringing more than a few cans.
3 PaintCare drop-off sites within 12 miles of Austin.
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.
D and G Ace Hardware
0.8 mi1417 1st Ave SW, Austin, MN 55912
- Limits
- Limit: 10 gallons per visit.
Mower County Recycling & Household Hazardous Waste Facility
0.8 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.
Sherwin-Williams
1.1 mi1300 18th Ave NW, Austin, MN 55912
- Limits
- Limit: 5 gallons per visit.
Freeborn County HHW Facility
17.4 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.
Sherwin-Williams
17.5 mi2328 Hendrickson Rd, Albert Lea, MN 56007
- 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 Austin cleanout?4
You can't get there on a Wednesday
Use a PaintCare store. D and G Ace Hardware at 1417 1st Ave SW takes up to 10 gallons per visit, and Sherwin-Williams at 1300 18th Ave NW takes 5. Neither store takes thinner or spray cans. Save thinner for a Wednesday at the county; its list doesn't name spray cans, so ask about those.
You're taking a garage cleanout to the transfer station
Pull out the paint first. The transfer station at 102 28th St SE won't take paint, oil, batteries or hazardous waste. Take those to the county site on Wednesday.
You live in LeRoy or another far corner of the county
The county site in Austin serves all of Mower County. The county has held two short remote collections each summer in rotating towns, but posts no dates on its page. Summer has passed, so plan on the Austin site.
You're a landlord with paint from a rental
PaintCare says the county site doesn't take business paint. Use the PaintCare stores, which take paint from Minnesota businesses. With 100 gallons or more, ask PaintCare for a free pickup.
Austin rules and tips5
THE LOCAL ANSWER
Bring paint to the Mower County Recycling Center, 1111 8th Ave NE in Austin, on a Wednesday (8 am–noon or 1–5 pm) with ID showing you live in Mower County. Other days, D and G Ace Hardware takes up to 10 gallons and Sherwin-Williams up to 5. The city transfer station on 28th St SE doesn't take paint.
In Austin, Minnesota (Mower County), the county's hazardous waste site at 1111 8th Ave NE takes paint on Wednesdays only. On other days, two PaintCare stores in town take house paint. Austin's city transfer station does not take paint.
Wednesday is the only county day
Mower County takes hazardous waste Wednesdays, 8 am–noon and 1–5 pm, with a lunch break. The recycling office is open other weekdays, but that's not for paint.
Grab free paint from the Reuse Room
On those same Wednesday hours, the county's Reuse Room gives away leftover paint, cleaners and other products. What's there changes every week.
The transfer station won't take paint
Austin's Solid Waste Transfer Station at 102 28th St SE (507-433-1702) lists oil, paint, batteries and hazardous waste as not accepted. Don't mix paint cans into a trash load there.
Ace takes more per visit than Sherwin-Williams
PaintCare lists D and G Ace Hardware, 1417 1st Ave SW, at 10 gallons per visit. Sherwin-Williams, 1300 18th Ave NW, takes 5. Neither takes spray paint or thinner.
Rural Mower County uses the same site
The county site is for all Mower County residents, including Adams, Dexter, Elkton, Grand Meadow, LeRoy, Lyle, Racine, Rose Creek, Sargeant and Waltham. The county says it has held two short summer collections out in the county; watch local papers and radio for those.
Free pickup programs and other options
For 100 gallons or more, ask PaintCare for a free pickup. Albert Lea residents use Freeborn County's own site at 2020 Pioneer Trail, Wednesdays 9 am–3 pm, which is for Freeborn County residents only. Olmsted County's Hazardous Waste Facility in Rochester is open Tuesday–Saturday, 8 am–4:30 pm, but its page doesn't say if Mower residents can use it; call 507-328-7070 first.
Getting your paint ready
Bring a driver's license or other ID; you must be 18 or older and live in Mower County, and staff can ask to see it. Keep paint in its labeled can with the lid on. Wait for staff before unloading.
Full preparation checklist →Austin questions5
When can I drop off paint at the Mower County Recycling Center?
Wednesdays only, 8 am–noon and 1–5 pm, at 1111 8th Ave NE. Call 507-437-9551 with questions.
Can I drop off paint in Austin on a Saturday?
Not at the county. D and G Ace Hardware (10 gallons per visit) and Sherwin-Williams (5 gallons) take house paint during store hours. Call first.
Can I bring paint to the Austin transfer station?
No. The city lists paint and hazardous waste as not accepted there.
I live in Albert Lea. Can I use the Austin site?
Mower County's page says the site is for Mower County residents. PaintCare's listing also names Freeborn County, so call 507-437-9551 before you go. Freeborn County has its own Wednesday site in Albert Lea.
Does Mower County have a paint swap?
Yes. The Reuse Room is open Wednesdays during hazardous waste hours, and its products are free.
Sources and how we checked9
Checked October 13, 2026 from Mower County pages, the county recycling hand-out, the City of Austin transfer station page and PaintCare's locator; no calls or visits. The county page footer shows the courthouse address (201 1st St NE); the hand-out and PaintCare give 1111 8th Ave NE for the recycling center. The county page says Mower residents only, while PaintCare also lists Freeborn. No 2026 remote collection dates were found. The county lists 'Paint' but not latex vs oil; those details come from PaintCare. We didn't confirm store hours.
Checked October 13, 2026 against these sources, not by phone. How we research.
Mower County Recycling & Household Hazardous Waste ↗Mower County FAQ: collection outside Austin ↗Mower County recycling hand-out (address and accepted items) ↗City of Austin Solid Waste Transfer Station ↗Freeborn County Recycling & Household Hazardous Waste ↗Olmsted County Hazardous Waste Facility ↗PaintCare Minnesota ↗PaintCare drop-off site locator ↗PaintCare large-volume pickup ↗
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