Drop it off free
5 free paint drop-off sites within 12 miles.
- Sherwin-WilliamsPaint store0.5 mi
- Whites LumberPaint store0.6 mi
- Whites LumberPaint store0.6 mi
Watertown, NY Paint Disposal
Everything you need to get rid of leftover paint responsibly in Watertown.
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All drop-off locations in and near Watertown6
Start with these
North Country HHW collection — Watertown, October 10, 2026 (last 2026 date)
21897 County Route 190, Watertown, NY
- Accepts
- Oil and latex paint, solvents, glue, epoxy, driveway sealer, wood preservative, polish, pool and photo chemicals, antifreeze, fluorescent tubes, mercury items, vapes and spray cans with product left.
- Who can use it
- Residents of the Jefferson, Lewis and St. Lawrence county program; confirm at sign-up. No business or farm hazardous waste.
- Hours
- Saturday, October 10, 2026, 8 a.m.–noon. Sign up at northcountryrecycles.org. Last date on the 2026 North Country flyer; no 2027 dates were posted as of October 6, 2026.
- Load limits
- No per-vehicle limit on the flyer. Give your amounts when you sign up.
- Fees
- Free for qualifying residents.
Not taken: propane tanks, tires, motor oil, car and household batteries, TVs and computers, smoke detectors, asbestos, empty spray cans (recycle them), and business or farm hazardous waste. Not the September paint-only event or regular transfer-station hours.
5 PaintCare drop-off sites within 12 miles of Watertown.
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.
Sherwin-Williams
0.5 mi491 Factory St, Watertown, NY 13601
- Limits
- Limit: 5 Gallons per visit.
Whites Lumber
0.6 mi3704 State Route 13, Watertown, NY 13142
- Limits
- Limit: 25 gallons per visit.
Whites Lumber
0.6 mi231 N Rutland St, Watertown, NY 13601
- Limits
- Limit: 25 gallons per visit.
Stratton Hardware
1.1 mi1336 Washington St, Watertown, NY 13601
- Who
- Households and Businesses
- Limits
- Limit: 5 gallons per visit.
Whites Paint Store
1.1 mi902 Arsenal St, Watertown, NY 13601
- Limits
- Limit: 25 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 Watertown cleanout?3
Wall paint, spray paint and epoxy in one cleanout
The October event takes more of these than a PaintCare store. Sign up with the full load and leave out batteries and electronics.
You missed the fall dates
The September 19 paint event is over, and October 10 is the last 2026 North Country date. Take labeled house paint to a PaintCare store. Keep solvents, sealers and spray cans upright and dry until 2027; call 315-661-3233 if urgent.
The cleanout is from a farm or contractor
The event refuses business and farm hazardous waste. A business may still use PaintCare for house paint, but industrial coatings, solvents and business limits need a separate check.
Watertown rules and tips3
THE LOCAL ANSWER
Jefferson County’s last 2026 hazardous waste collection is Saturday, October 10, 2026, 8 a.m.–noon, 21897 County Route 190, sign-up required; no 2027 dates were up as of October 6, 2026. Otherwise, take paint to a PaintCare store; Whites Lumber and Whites Paint Store in Watertown take 25 gallons per visit.
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.
Check which event a search result means
The September 19 paint-only collection is over. St. Lawrence County’s September 26 Massena date has passed too. October 10 at 21897 County Route 190 is the last 2026 North Country date and needs sign-up. Past event sites don’t take walk-ins.
Mixed household loads have a longer list
The 2026 flyer takes oil and latex paint, solvents, epoxy, glue, driveway sealer and spray cans with product left. It refuses motor oil, tires, propane, batteries, and TVs or computers; empty spray cans get recycled.
Watertown stores take unusually big loads
PaintCare lists Whites Lumber, 3704 State Route 13 and 231 North Rutland Street, and Whites Paint Store, 902 Arsenal Street, at 25 gallons per visit, versus 5 at the Factory Street Sherwin-Williams and Stratton Hardware. Call a 25-gallon store before hauling a basement’s worth after October 10.
Free pickup programs and other options
Outside the event, check the PaintCare locator and call a listed store; the county backs this option. County transfer and recycling sites have their own rules; neither their hours nor a Watertown address means they take paint. Business and farm hazardous waste is refused.
Getting your paint ready
Sign up first, listing each product and rough amount. Keep labels and lids on, and keep products that don’t mix apart in sturdy containers. Ask before bringing damaged or unlabeled cans.
Full preparation checklist →Watertown questions4
Is the October 10 event free?
Yes. The flyer calls it a free residential collection by the Development Authority of the North Country, Jefferson, Lewis and St. Lawrence counties and the DEC. Sign up and confirm residence and load.
Can I take paint to 27138 NY-12 instead?
No, that’s a different county transfer and recycling site. The event is at 21897 County Route 190; regular transfer hours don’t mean hazardous waste drop-off.
Can a small painting company use this event?
No. Business hazardous waste isn’t allowed. Use a PaintCare business option or a business waste service.
Will there be another collection before 2027?
None is posted. October 10 is the final date on the 2026 flyer, and on October 6, 2026 there was still no 2027 schedule. Use a PaintCare store meanwhile.
Sources and how we checked8
Checked October 6, 2026: the 2026 flyer lists May 16, June 6, August 29, September 26 and October 10, so October 10 is last. Sign-up showed no seat count; no 2027 schedule. Whites and other store limits are from PaintCare’s October 6 locator. No event gallon limit is posted.
Checked October 6, 2026 against these sources, not by phone. How we research.
