Everything you need to get rid of leftover paint responsibly in Alamogordo.
224 Lavelle Road, Alamogordo, NM 88310
The center doesn't accept hazardous waste unless the city has named it as an accepted waste stream, and staff may refuse any load. The city's Solid Waste page, though, says household hazardous waste disposal is offered for residential customers here. Call 575-439-4109 before bringing thinner, solvents or liquid oil-based paint.
4276 US Highway 54, Alamogordo, NM 88310
NMED's May 2025 landfill list gives the address as 4258 Hwy. 54 South, '24 miles south of Alamogordo.' The city page says 4276 US Highway 54. Ask about paint before you haul it here.
Take the lids off, let the paint harden completely (add dirt or cat litter if needed), and drop the cans at the Collection Center on Lavelle Road.
Call 575-439-4109 before you go. The city's pages disagree on whether the Collection Center takes household hazardous waste, and liquids can't go in your cart.
Otero County's centers in those towns take recyclables, and La Luz also takes motor oil and auto batteries, but none lists paint. The city's Collection Center serves residents, contractors and other approved users; call 575-439-4109 to ask whether that includes you.
The Collection Center lists contractors among its users and says commercial waste may be accepted if it meets current rules. At the landfill, companies pay a $50 first-load charge per day plus the per-ton rate. Call the center or the landfill (575-489-2252) first.
In Alamogordo, New Mexico, let leftover paint harden completely (the city says dirt, cat litter or another absorbent can help), take the lid off, and drop it at the city's Collection Center at 224 Lavelle Road, 8 a.m. to 4:45 p.m. The center doesn't take liquid paint, and Southwest Disposal won't empty a garbage cart contaminated with paint. On windy days call 575-439-4109 first; the center closes when sustained winds reach 30 mph.
This guide is for Alamogordo in Otero County, New Mexico. The city's Collection Center at 224 Lavelle Road takes paint only when it's completely solid with the lid off. Liquid paint isn't taken there or in your garbage cart, and NMED's 2025 county list has no Otero County household hazardous waste entry. New Mexico has no PaintCare program.
The Collection Center's paint rule, in the city's words: 'Liquid paint is not accepted. Paint container lids must be removed, and the paint must be completely solidified before disposal.' The city says dirt, cat litter or another suitable absorbent can be used to solidify what's left. Every load is inspected, and staff can refuse anything that doesn't meet the rules.
The city's Solid Waste page says the solid waste divisions provide household hazardous waste disposal for residential customers at the 'Convenience Center Transfer Station' (its name there for the Collection Center). The Collection Center's own page says it doesn't accept hazardous waste unless the city has named it as accepted. Before bringing thinner, solvent or liquid oil-based paint, call 575-439-4109.
The Collection Center page lists 8 a.m. to 4:45 p.m. without naming days. The city's Recycling page and Otero County's directory list the La Velle Convenience Site, at the same 224 La Velle Road address, as open daily, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., for recyclables and scrap metal. Fees follow the Collection Center fee schedule, which the page doesn't show.
Southwest Disposal collects city trash twice a week under contract. The city's garbage page lists hazardous waste, including liquid paint, as not allowed in carts; the Solid Waste page lists 'Hazardous Waste (including Paint)' and says drivers won't pick up carts contaminated with paint or household chemicals. Call Southwest Disposal at 575-434-1109.
The Otero-Greentree Regional Landfill (4276 US Highway 54) is owned by the Otero and Lincoln County solid waste authorities and run by the city. From July 1, 2026, it charges $27.98 a ton for members and $38.47 for non-members, plus a $50 first-load charge per company per day. Its page doesn't mention paint; call 575-489-2252.
New Mexico has no PaintCare program, and PaintCare's locator data has no site in Otero County. That data does list Doña Ana County's household hazardous waste sites around Las Cruces, but as non-program listings for households in Doña Ana County only. NMED's 2025 list names Greentree Solid Waste Authority in Ruidoso Downs for Lincoln County and the Mescalero Apache reservation, not Otero County, and the free Albuquerque center on NMED's fact sheet is for Albuquerque and Bernalillo County residents. Otero County's collection centers in La Luz, Cloudcroft, Chaparral and Weed list recyclables, and La Luz also takes used motor oil and auto batteries; the Bent, Oro Grande and Pinon listings give no materials. None lists paint. County solid waste: Ralph Murphy, 575-973-1735.
Follow the city's method: take the lid off and let the paint harden completely, using dirt, cat litter or another absorbent if needed. Bring used motor oil and antifreeze separately; the center takes them in designated collection areas. Check the wind before you go; the center and the landfill both close at sustained winds of 30 mph. NMED lists paint as a toxic household hazardous waste and turpentine as an ignitable one, so call before bringing any thinner.
Full preparation checklist →Harden it completely with the lid off, then take it to the city's Collection Center at 224 Lavelle Road (8 a.m. to 4:45 p.m.). Liquid paint isn't accepted. Phone: 575-439-4109.
Not liquid paint. The city lists it as not allowed in carts, and Southwest Disposal won't empty a cart contaminated with paint. Take hardened paint to the Collection Center.
The city says fees follow the current Collection Center fee schedule but doesn't publish it on the page. Call 575-439-4109.
City pages disagree: one says the Collection Center offers household hazardous waste disposal for residents, and the center's page says it doesn't take hazardous waste unless the city names it. Call 575-439-4109 before you go.
No. New Mexico has no PaintCare program. PaintCare's data lists Doña Ana County's household hazardous waste sites, but only for Doña Ana County households.
October 17, 2026: read the City of Alamogordo's Solid Waste, Collection Center Transfer Station, Otero-Greentree Regional Landfill, Residential Garbage Collection and Recycling pages (ci.alamogordo.nm.us), Otero County's Solid Waste page and its collection centers directory (co.otero.nm.us), and NMED's 2025 HHW-by-county list (no Otero County entry), 2025 fact sheet, May 2025 landfill list and 2022 registered collection centers list. The city's Keep Alamogordo Beautiful link leads to a sign-in page, and searches found no Alamogordo household hazardous waste event. PaintCare data: no Otero County listing; Doña Ana County records (e.g. 15229) are non-program, Doña Ana households only. Conflicts: household hazardous waste at the Collection Center (Solid Waste page vs Collection Center page); cart rule wording (paint vs liquid paint); hours (8 to 4:45 vs daily 8 to 5 for the La Velle recycling site); landfill address (4276 vs 4258 Hwy 54). Unresolved: Collection Center fees and days, whether it takes thinner or liquid oil-based paint, landfill hours, and whether county residents may use the Collection Center. No phone calls were made.
Checked October 17, 2026 against these sources, not by phone. How we research.
