Drop it off free
2 free paint drop-off sites within 12 miles.
- St Lawrence County Highway FacilityPaint store0.6 mi
- Coakley Home and HardwarePaint store5.5 mi
- Whites LumberPaint store23.3 mi
Canton, NY Paint Disposal
Everything you need to get rid of leftover paint responsibly in Canton.
NOW AVAILABLE IN CANTON
Paint recycling pickup. Book online.
Book a pickup $89 minimum · No next-day surcharge
All drop-off locations in and near Canton4
Start with these
St. Lawrence County Highway Department monthly paint collection (Canton)
44 Park St, Canton, NY 13617
- Accepts
- House paint in containers of 5 gallons or less: latex, acrylic, water-based, alkyd, oil-based and enamel paint, deck and floor paint, primers and sealers, stains, shellac, lacquer, varnish and urethane, waterproofing sealers, metal and rust-preventive coatings, and field and lawn paint.
- Who can use it
- St. Lawrence County residents only. Businesses can't use it; the county tells them to contact PaintCare about a large-volume pickup.
- Hours
- First Thursday of each month, 9 a.m.–1 p.m., except December through March, per the county. PaintCare's listing adds that holidays are excluded.
- Load limits
- PaintCare lists 200 gallons per visit. Each container must be 5 gallons or smaller.
- Fees
- Free.
Paint must be in its original, sealed container with its original label. The county's list says no thinner, mineral spirits or solvents, spray cans, car or boat paint, art paint, caulk, epoxy, glue, roof patch, tar-based products, two-part coatings, deck cleaners, road-marking paint or wood preservatives with pesticide. PaintCare's listing says the site 'also takes some other household hazardous waste'; the county's list says otherwise, so call 315-379-9084 before bringing anything but paint.
Coakley Home and Hardware (PaintCare drop-off, Canton)
2535 NY-68, Canton, NY 13617
- Accepts
- Latex and oil-based house paint, stain and varnish in containers up to 5 gallons, per PaintCare's listing.
- Who can use it
- Households and businesses in New York, per PaintCare, so it works for people who can't use the residents-only county collection.
- Hours
- During regular store hours, per PaintCare. Store hours weren't checked; call ahead.
- Load limits
- 5 gallons per visit, per PaintCare.
- Fees
- Free for PaintCare products.
No spray cans, and no leaking, empty or unlabeled containers. Paint is taken during regular store hours; call first to make sure the store has room for your amount and type of paint.
2 PaintCare drop-off sites within 12 miles of Canton.
5 paint stores and 0 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 New York
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.
St Lawrence County Highway Facility
0.6 mi44 Park St, Canton, NY 13617
- Who
- Households Only (No Businesses) in St Lawrence County
- Hours
- 1st Thursday of the month, excluding holidays 9 am - 1 pm
- Limits
- Limit: 200 gallons per visit.
- Notes
- This site accepts latex and oil-based house paint, stains and varnish in containers up to 5 gallons in size. This site also takes some other household hazardous waste -- contact the site for details and restrictions. Please do not bring empty, leaking or unlabeled containers.
Coakley Home and Hardware
5.5 mi2535 NY-68, Canton, NY 13617
- Limits
- Limit: 5 Gallons per visit.
Whites Lumber
23.3 mi71 Depot St, Gouverneur, NY 13642
- Limits
- Limit: 10 Gallons per visit.
Aubuchon Hardware
23.6 mi32 Clinton St, Gouverneur, NY 13642
- Limits
- Limit: 5 Gallons per visit.
Sherwin-Williams
26.2 mi164 Harte Haven Center, Massena, NY 13662
- 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 Canton cleanout?4
Clearing out decades of basement paint
Bring it to Park Street on a first Thursday between April and November. PaintCare's listing allows up to 200 gallons, but every can must be sealed, labeled and 5 gallons or less.
Repainting in January
Park Street is closed for paint December through March. Take up to 5 gallons to Coakley's in Canton, or 10 to Whites Lumber in Gouverneur.
Stain plus thinner and spray cans
Park Street takes the stain, not the thinner or spray cans. Keep those sealed until the county posts 2027 collection days, then register at northcountryrecycles.org.
A landlord with leftover paint from rentals
The county paint day is for residents, and businesses can't use it. If the paint comes from rentals you run as a business, call 315-379-9084 before bringing it. Otherwise use a PaintCare store, which takes paint from businesses, or ask PaintCare for a free pickup if you have 100 gallons or more.
Canton rules and tips5
THE LOCAL ANSWER
If you live in St. Lawrence County, bring house paint to the county Highway Department, 44 Park Street, Canton, on the first Thursday of the month from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.; there are no collections December through March. It's free, residents only, and paint must be in its original sealed, labeled can. Other days, Coakley Home and Hardware on State Route 68 takes up to 5 gallons.
Canton, the St. Lawrence County seat, has something most small North Country towns don't: a monthly county paint collection at the Highway Department on Park Street. It's for house paint only. Spray cans, thinner and other chemicals go to the county's twice-a-year collection days, and both 2026 dates are over.
Monthly paint day on Park Street
The county set this up with the Development Authority of the North Country (DANC) and PaintCare. It runs the first Thursday of each month, 9 a.m. to 1 p.m., April through November. PaintCare's listing allows up to 200 gallons a visit, far more than a store takes. Call 315-379-9084 if a first Thursday falls on a holiday.
What Park Street won't take
The county's list rules out paint thinner, mineral spirits and solvents, spray cans, car and boat paint, art paint, caulk, epoxy and glue, roof patch and tar products, two-part coatings, deck cleaners, road-marking paint and wood preservatives with pesticide. Those need a hazardous waste collection day.
Chemical collections are spring and fall
The county runs two household hazardous waste days a year with DANC and the state DEC. In 2026 they were May 16 at SUNY Canton, 34 Cornell Drive, and September 26 at the Village of Massena Highway Department, 85 Robinson Road. Both are over, and 2027 dates aren't posted. You must register in advance at northcountryrecycles.org.
Canton has no county transfer station
The county's four transfer stations are in Ogdensburg, Massena, Gouverneur and Star Lake, and none is listed for paint. The county's recycling guide says paint cans don't belong in your recycling.
Bigger store limits in Gouverneur
Coakley's on State Route 68 is the only Canton store PaintCare lists, at 5 gallons. Whites Lumber, 71 Depot Street in Gouverneur, takes 10. Aubuchon Hardware in Gouverneur and Sherwin-Williams at Harte Haven Center in Massena take 5.
Free pickup programs and other options
Outside the April–November Thursdays, use a PaintCare store: Coakley's in Canton, Whites Lumber or Aubuchon in Gouverneur, or Sherwin-Williams in Massena. Businesses can't use the county collection; the county points them to PaintCare for a large-volume pickup, which needs at least 100 gallons.
Getting your paint ready
Leave paint in its original can with the original label, sealed. Nothing over 5 gallons per container. Keep thinner and spray cans out of the paint load; Park Street and the stores don't take them.
Full preparation checklist →Canton questions5
When can I drop off paint in Canton, NY?
On the first Thursday of the month, 9 a.m. to 1 p.m., at 44 Park Street, except December through March. It's for St. Lawrence County residents. Coakley Home and Hardware takes paint during store hours.
Is there a paint collection in winter?
Not at Park Street; the county skips December through March. Use a PaintCare store until April.
Can I bring spray paint or thinner to Park Street?
No. The county's list excludes spray cans, thinner and solvents. Save them for a spring or fall hazardous waste day and register first.
I'm a contractor. Can I use the county paint day?
No, it's residents only. PaintCare stores take house paint from businesses, and PaintCare offers a free pickup for 100 gallons or more.
Can empty paint cans go in my recycling?
The county's recycling guide lists paint cans among things that don't go in your recycling.
Sources and how we checked10
October 16, 2026: read St. Lawrence County's Solid Waste and Household Hazardous Waste pages, its PaintCare slides (updated April 7, 2025), its accepted-products sheet and its recycling trifold, plus the 2026 North Country collection flyer. PaintCare locator data covers 44 Park St and the Canton, Gouverneur and Massena stores. PaintCare's listing says Park Street 'also takes some other household hazardous waste'; the county's sheet excludes thinner, solvents and spray cans, so the guide follows the county and tells readers to call. The 200-gallon limit comes only from PaintCare. Whether a first Thursday holiday cancels a collection isn't spelled out by the county. 2027 hazardous waste dates weren't posted. Store hours weren't checked. We made no phone calls.
Checked October 16, 2026 against these sources, not by phone. How we research.
St. Lawrence County: Solid Waste Department ↗St. Lawrence County: Household Hazardous Waste ↗St. Lawrence County: About PaintCare and North Country collections (PDF, updated April 7, 2025) ↗St. Lawrence County: what will and will not be accepted at paint collections (PDF) ↗St. Lawrence County: recycling services trifold (PDF) ↗2026 North Country household hazardous waste schedule ↗PaintCare New York ↗PaintCare drop-off site locator ↗PaintCare products we accept ↗PaintCare large-volume pickup ↗
