Everything you need to get rid of leftover paint responsibly in Toms River.
1672 Church Road, Toms River, NJ 08753
The county flyer lists the Toms River paint contact as 732-255-1100 x8108. The township’s own page says 732-255-1000 ext. 8103. Try the township number first. PaintCare’s listing (under Ocean County’s paint program; New Jersey has no PaintCare program) says the site won’t take empty, dried-out or leaking cans.
601 New Hampshire Avenue, Lakewood, NJ 08701
Drop paint at Special Waste Building 68, not the curbside recycling drop area. The county’s other paint site is the Southern Recycling Center, 379 Haywood Road, Manahawkin (Building 105, 609-978-0913), same hours.
7910 Long Beach Boulevard, Long Beach Township, NJ 08008
Register online at co.ocean.nj.us/recycle before you go. The 2026 flyer says registration is online only; the county’s March 2026 news release also lists phone registration at 732-506-5047. Email ocrecycles@co.ocean.nj.us for help. After this event, watch the same page for 2027 dates.
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.
1672 Church Rd, Toms River, NJ 08753
601 New Hampshire Ave, Lakewood Township, NJ 08701
630 Pinewald Keswick Rd, Bayville, NJ 08721
1201 Barnegat Ave, Seaside Park, NJ 08752
820 Municipal Ln, Lanoka Harbor, NJ 08734
836 Ridge Ave, Brick, NJ 08724
301 Cooks Rd, Point Pleasant Beach, NJ 08742
From PaintCare’s drop-off map ↗, updated October 6, 2026. Hours and limits are PaintCare’s. Distances are straight-line, not driving.
Load the cans with lids tight and drive them to Church Road. It’s free for township residents, and it takes latex and oil-based paint alike. PaintCare’s listing for the site sets a limit of 20 gallons a day.
If it’s your own boat, the township center takes marine paint from residents. If the paint came from a marina business or a paid job, it can’t go there; the business needs an approved vendor.
Church Road won’t take them. Bring them to the Northern Recycling Center at 601 New Hampshire Avenue in Lakewood, Building 68, Monday–Saturday 7:30 a.m.–3 p.m.
No paint site in Ocean County takes these. If the November 1 county event in Long Beach Township hasn’t happened yet, book a slot. Otherwise, keep the cans sealed until the 2027 dates come out.
The township accepts a utility bill or tax bill as proof of residency, as well as a driver’s license. Bring one with your Toms River address.
Take latex, oil-based or marine paint to the Toms River Township Recycling Convenience Center, 1672 Church Road, Monday–Saturday 7:30 a.m.–3 p.m., with proof you live in the township. Spray paint goes to Ocean County’s Northern Recycling Center in Lakewood. Stain and varnish need a county hazardous waste day; the last one on the 2026 schedule is set for November 1 in Long Beach Township, by appointment.
Toms River Township in Ocean County, New Jersey, takes leftover latex, oil-based and marine paint for free at its Recycling Convenience Center on Church Road, Monday through Saturday, from township residents. Ocean County’s paint flyer lists only eight towns that do this, and Toms River is one. New Jersey has no PaintCare program. Spray paint goes to the county’s Northern Recycling Center in Lakewood. Stains and varnishes go to an Ocean County hazardous waste day.
The township center at 1672 Church Road takes water-based, oil-based and marine paint in full or partly full cans. It does not take stain, varnish or thinner. Bring proof that you live in Toms River Township, such as your driver’s license or a tax bill.
Ocean County says aerosol spray paint is taken only at its two county recycling centers. From Toms River the closer one is the Northern Recycling Center, 601 New Hampshire Avenue in Lakewood. Drop it at Special Waste Building 68, Monday–Saturday, 7:30 a.m.–3 p.m.
Toms River’s own 2026 county hazardous waste day was set for September 12 at the FOP lot on North Bay Avenue, and that date has passed. Any Ocean County resident can use any county event, the county says. The last one on the 2026 schedule is set for Sunday, November 1, 9 a.m.–3 p.m., at Long Beach Township Public Works. You must book online first. After that, hold the cans for the 2027 dates.
The township lists no paint limit. PaintCare’s listing for Church Road says 20 gallons per person per day. For the county centers, the paint flyer says 20 gallons a day and the county’s web page says 20 cans a day. If you have more, split it over two days or ask first.
The county flyer lists eight towns that take paint from their own residents: Berkeley, Brick, Lacey, Little Egg Harbor, Point Pleasant Beach, Seaside Park, Toms River and Tuckerton. If you live in Beachwood, Pine Beach or another town not on that list, use the county centers in Lakewood or Manahawkin.
The township says more than 100,000 vehicles use the center each year. Come in a car or pickup: nothing bigger is allowed, and rental pickups must be 8,000 pounds or less. Household items are limited to two visits a month, so bring paint along with other drop-offs.
There is no store take-back in New Jersey. The county’s Southern Recycling Center at 379 Haywood Road in Manahawkin (Building 105, 609-978-0913) takes the same paint as Lakewood, same hours. If you can’t wait for a county event, the county says to hire a licensed hazardous waste disposal company. Usable paint can go to a neighbor, church or community group.
Keep paint in its original can with the lid on tight. PaintCare’s listing for Church Road says no empty, dried-out or leaking cans; the county’s own paint page says its two centers take full or empty cans. Read each label: “clean up with soap and water” means latex. Set stains, varnish and polyurethane aside for a hazardous waste day. Bring your driver’s license or a recent tax or utility bill with a Toms River address. Empty plastic paint cans can go in your trash, the county says.
Full preparation checklist →At the Toms River Township Recycling Convenience Center, 1672 Church Road, Monday–Saturday, 7:30 a.m.–3 p.m. It’s free for township residents and takes latex, oil-based and marine paint.
No. Stain, varnish and thinner go to a county hazardous waste day. Spray paint goes to the county recycling centers in Lakewood or Manahawkin.
The last one on the 2026 schedule is set for Sunday, November 1, 2026, 9 a.m.–3 p.m., at 7910 Long Beach Boulevard. Book online at co.ocean.nj.us/recycle. The Toms River event on September 12 has passed. After November 1, check the same page for 2027 dates.
No. The township center turns away contractors and commercial vehicles, and the county program is for residents only. The county says businesses must use an approved vendor.
Toms River Public Works, 732-255-1000 ext. 8103 for the center, or ext. 8140 for the recycling office. For county programs, 732-506-5047 or ocrecycles@co.ocean.nj.us.
October 16, 2026: read Toms River Township’s Recycling Convenience Center and non-traditional items pages, Ocean County’s paint program page, its Paint Disposal Program flyer (PDF, modified March 11, 2026, read with pdftotext), the county recycling and facilities pages, the county’s March 3, 2026 HHW news release and the 2026 HHW flyer posted by Lakewood Township. PaintCare’s locator data lists the Church Road site under Ocean County’s paint program (New Jersey has no PaintCare program); the 20-gallon daily limit and the no-empty-cans rule for Church Road come only from that listing. Peer review the same day: the county’s paint page says its centers take full or empty cans, so the old line that the county refuses empty cans was corrected; the claim that most New Jersey towns take no paint was unsupported and was removed. Conflicts: the township page lists 732-255-1000 ext. 8103 for the center while the county flyer lists 732-255-1100 x8108; the county flyer says 20 gallons per day and its web page says 20 cans per day; the HHW flyer says online-only registration while the release mentions phone registration. Not found: whether paint counts toward the township’s two-visits-a-month household limit, 2027 HHW dates, a township rule on drying latex for the trash, and the Northern Ocean Habitat ReStore’s paint donation policy (addresses conflict across directories, so it is not listed).
Checked October 16, 2026 against these sources, not by phone. How we research.
