Paint recycling
in New York.
Paint drop-off in New York City, upstate cities and small towns.
Check your local rules.
Many paint stores take house paint for free year-round. County hazardous waste events take chemicals too, but they’re only on certain dates and usually need registration and proof you live there.
Free paint recycling.
New York has a free paint recycling program called PaintCare. Many paint and hardware stores take leftover house paint, stain and varnish at no charge.
How it works in New York ↗18 cities
Albany ↗
Albany called off its remaining 2026 city events. For a normal paint cleanout, use a PaintCare store, not the Rapp Road schedule.
Checked October 6, 2026New YorkBinghamton ↗
Binghamton has a regular county paint drop-off and a shorter-hours downtown store. The question is whether you have only paint or other chemicals too.
Checked October 4, 2026New YorkBuffalo ↗
In Buffalo, free paint recycling and a chemical cleanout are separate. Hazman in Tonawanda does both; the county discount needs a reservation.
Checked October 4, 2026New YorkCorning ↗
Corning has two PaintCare stores, Stevens on Bridge Street and Sherwin-Williams on West Pulteney Street. The county calendar mainly saves a wasted trip to Erwin.
Checked October 6, 2026New YorkElmira ↗
Use a PaintCare store; the county’s household collection is done for 2026. Ignore old May event notices and Big Flats, which is closed for good.
Checked October 6, 2026New YorkIthaca ↗
Tompkins County events need a vehicle permit and a booked time, so a store may be easier for a little paint.
Checked October 4, 2026New YorkKingston ↗
Kingston has a store option for usable liquid house paint and an October event for bigger cleanouts, each with its own rules.
Checked October 6, 2026New YorkNew Rochelle ↗
Choose a county appointment, the Playland drive-up or a paint-only store trip; no PaintCare site is inside New Rochelle. The city also collects hardened paint at the curb under its own rules.
Checked October 6, 2026New YorkNew York City ↗
NYC has weekly city drop-offs, dated SAFE events and paint-only store drop-offs. Pick by product: city pages disagree on oil paint and full spray cans at weekly sites.
Checked October 4, 2026New YorkOneonta ↗
Oneonta’s community reuse center also recycles paint. Use the donation building and ask about paint space first.
Checked October 4, 2026New YorkPlattsburgh ↗
You needn’t wait for Clinton County’s yearly event; several stores, including the Route 3 Sherwin-Williams, take house paint all year.
Checked October 4, 2026New YorkPoughkeepsie ↗
Poughkeepsie has two named paint stores; the county event and Town transfer station serve other needs. A Poughkeepsie mailing address doesn’t open a Town-only site.
Checked October 6, 2026New YorkRochester ↗
Ecopark suits paint plus other chemicals, but paint needs an appointment even though many items are walk-in.
Checked October 4, 2026New YorkSaratoga Springs ↗
The October event suits a paint-only cleanout but takes less than a hazardous waste event and runs once a year. Two downtown stores cover the rest of the year.
Checked October 6, 2026New YorkSyracuse ↗
Key Syracuse detail: Miller has paused oil products. OCRRA still books chemical drop-off there, so paint type decides if Miller works.
Checked October 4, 2026New YorkUtica ↗
Utica’s paint stores keep working after the hazardous waste season ends. An open EcoDrop doesn’t mean chemical drop-off.
Checked October 4, 2026New YorkWatertown ↗
October’s event is the last 2026 North Country collection and the only one for a mixed workshop load. After it, use a PaintCare store for paint; other chemicals wait for 2027.
Checked October 6, 2026New YorkWhite Plains ↗
White Plains has a busy city yard on Gedney Way and the county H-MRF, but they take different things. Gedney’s PaintCare approval isn’t yet a working drop-off.
Checked October 6, 2026Spray cans, thinner and other chemicals?
Paint stores won’t take these. Take them to your local household hazardous waste site. Your city guide lists it.
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