Everything you need to get rid of leftover paint responsibly in Las Cruces.
2855 W Amador Ave, Las Cruces, NM 88005
The trash transfer station next door is 2865 W Amador, and the City of Las Cruces gives that number for SCSWA. Paint goes to the Recycling Center at 2855. Because SCSWA and PaintCare list different hours, plan to arrive within the shorter ones (by 3:45 p.m. on weekdays, 2:45 p.m. on weekends) or call 575-528-3800.
4925 Eason Ln, Las Cruces, NM 88011
Bring a county punch card if you also have trash; the centers don’t make change. City residents should use the Amador Recycling Center instead.
9293 Del Rey Blvd, Las Cruces, NM 88012
Like all eight county centers, it is closed midweek. Punch cards are sold at the Doña Ana County Government Center and other listed places, not at sheriff’s substations.
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.
2855 W Amador Ave, Las Cruces, NM 88005
9293 Del Rey Blvd, Hill, NM 88012
4925 Eason Ln, Las Cruces, NM 88007
725 County Rd B059, Mesquite, NM 88011
1310 W Afton Rd, La Mesa, NM 88044
From PaintCare’s drop-off map ↗, updated October 6, 2026. Hours and limits are PaintCare’s. Distances are straight-line, not driving.
That’s over the 5-gallon daily limit. Split it over three days at Amador, or have another adult in your home bring a share.
Use the Butterfield center at 4925 Eason Lane, Friday to Monday, 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. It’s closed Tuesday to Thursday.
Pull the paint out of the pile. The Grappler can’t take paint or hazardous waste, so drive it to Amador.
SCSWA’s drop-off is not for business use. You’ll need a licensed hazardous waste company.
Take paint and stain to the SCSWA Las Cruces Recycling Center, 2855 W. Amador Ave. It’s free and open every day, but sources list different hours, so arrive by 3:45 p.m. on weekdays or 2:45 p.m. on weekends. The limit is 5 gallons per person per day, and it’s for residents only, not businesses. If you live outside city limits, county collection centers such as Butterfield and Hill take household hazardous waste Friday to Monday.
This guide is for Las Cruces, New Mexico, in Doña Ana County. The South Central Solid Waste Authority (SCSWA) takes paint and stain free, seven days a week, at its Recycling Center at 2855 W. Amador Ave. The limit is 5 gallons per person per day. If you live outside city limits, SCSWA’s eight county collection centers also take household hazardous waste.
SCSWA lists weekday hours of 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. and weekend hours of 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. PaintCare’s listing gives shorter hazardous waste hours: 8 to 4 on weekdays and 9 to 3 on weekends. To be safe, get there by 3:45 p.m. on a weekday or 2:45 p.m. on a weekend.
SCSWA takes no more than 5 gallons of hazardous waste per person per day. A big cleanout means several days, or bringing another adult.
The paint drop-off is the Recycling Center at 2855 W. Amador. The trash transfer station next door is 2865, which is the address the City of Las Cruces gives for SCSWA.
Collection centers serve county residents outside Las Cruces: Butterfield (Eason Lane), Hill (Del Rey Blvd.), Mesquite, La Mesa, Anthony, La Union, Hatch and Garfield. Most are open Friday to Monday, 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. La Union is open Friday to Sunday, and Garfield on weekends only.
Las Cruces Utilities’ monthly Grappler bulky pickup lists paint and hazardous waste among things it can’t pick up. Haul paint to SCSWA yourself.
New Mexico has no PaintCare program, so stores won’t take paint back. Give usable paint to a neighbor or group that can use it. The Habitat ReStore at 1675 South Valley Drive sells paint but doesn’t post whether it takes paint donations; call (575) 523-5019. The state environment department’s fact sheet lists paint as household hazardous waste and tells you to use your local program, which here is SCSWA.
Keep paint in original cans with tight lids, and count gallons so you stay under 5 per person. Bring proof that you live in Doña Ana County in case you’re asked. If you’re going to a county center with trash too, bring a punch card; staff can’t make change.
Full preparation checklist →To the SCSWA Las Cruces Recycling Center, 2855 W. Amador Ave. It takes paints and stains free, every day of the week.
No more than 5 gallons per person per day.
County residents outside city limits can use a collection center such as Hill on Del Rey Blvd. or Butterfield on Eason Lane. Both are open Friday to Monday.
No. SCSWA’s hazardous waste drop-off is for residents only, not for business use.
No. Paint and hazardous waste are on the list of things the Grappler can’t take.
October 13, 2026: read SCSWA’s household hazardous waste, Las Cruces Recycling Center, hours, county collection centers, collection center list, Amador transfer station and rates pages, Las Cruces Utilities’ solid waste and Grappler pages, the Las Cruces Habitat ReStore page, NMED’s household hazardous waste fact sheet, and PaintCare’s locator data. SCSWA’s HHW page names the Recycling Center and the county centers; the per-center HHW details come from PaintCare’s listings. Hours differ: SCSWA’s page lists “recycling hours” of weekdays 7–5 and weekends 8–4 (the same as the transfer station next door); PaintCare’s hazardous waste listing says 8–4 and 9–3, so the guide tells readers to arrive within the shorter hours. SCSWA’s 5-gallon-a-day rule is posted on its Recycling Center page, not its HHW page. No source says whether dried latex may go in city trash carts, what ID is checked, or whether Mesilla residents count as city or county. No HHW fee is posted for county centers. Unresolved: the ReStore’s paint donation rules.
Checked October 13, 2026 against these sources, not by phone. How we research.
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