Everything you need to get rid of leftover paint responsibly in Charlotte.
140 Valleydale Road, Charlotte, NC 28214
Keep paint in its original can if you can, label anything else, and never mix chemicals. Tell staff when you are bringing hazardous waste. This is also the west-side compost yard, so expect truck traffic.
8007 Pence Road, Charlotte, NC 28215
On the east side, off Pence Road. Check the county facilities page the morning you go for same-day closures.
17131 Lancaster Highway, Charlotte, NC 28277
Far south near the South Carolina line, off Lancaster Highway (US 521). Closest of the four for Ballantyne and south Charlotte.
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.
140 Valleydale Rd, Charlotte, NC 28214
8007 Pence Rd, Charlotte, NC 28215
12300 N Statesville Rd, Huntersville, NC 28078
17131 Lancaster Hwy, Charlotte, NC 28277
1731 Hwy 160, Fort Mill, SC 29708
From PaintCare’s drop-off map ↗, updated October 6, 2026. Hours and limits are PaintCare’s. Distances are straight-line, not driving.
Foxhole on Lancaster Highway (US 521) is the closest. It’s almost at the South Carolina line. The landfill part closes Saturdays, but the drop-off center is open.
The drop-off centers won’t take business hazardous waste. If you qualify as a very small generator, the county’s next business event is Wednesday, November 18, 2026, at 5740 Rozzelles Ferry Road. Call 980-314-3867 or email solidwaste@MeckNC.gov for details.
The county cap is 100 pounds of paint from a resident, and it doesn’t say if that’s per visit or per day. Call 980-314-3867 before you go so you know whether to split the load over more than one trip.
North Mecklenburg, 12300 North Statesville Road in Huntersville, is the northern center. On October 7, 2026, the county said construction there means it is only selling bagged mulch and compost, and business loads and dump trailers can’t drop off on Saturdays. The county did not say paint drop-off had stopped, but call before you drive.
Take latex or oil-based paint to any of Mecklenburg County’s four full-service drop-off centers, Monday to Saturday, 7 a.m. to 4 p.m. Residents can bring up to 100 pounds, with a free blue sticker. In Charlotte, that means Compost Central (Valleydale Road), Hickory Grove (Pence Road) or Foxhole (Lancaster Highway).
Charlotte doesn’t collect paint itself. Mecklenburg County takes both latex and oil-based paint at its four full-service drop-off centers, six days a week, up to 100 pounds from a household. North Carolina has no paint store take-back program.
Compost Central is on Valleydale Road on the west side. Hickory Grove is on Pence Road in east Charlotte. Foxhole is on Lancaster Highway at the far south end near the South Carolina line. North Mecklenburg is in Huntersville. All four list the same hours: Monday to Saturday, 7 a.m. to 4 p.m.
The county asks residents to show a blue entry sticker. It’s free at the fee booth at any center; bring a driver’s license or other proof you live in the county. If you live in Gaston, Union or another county, you can buy a residential out-of-county sticker there. The county says that sticker doesn’t make everything free.
The county takes up to 100 pounds of paint from a resident. It doesn’t say whether that is per visit or per day, or how many cans that works out to. If you have a big basement cleanout, call 980-314-3867 before you load up.
The county posts same-day closures on its facilities page. On October 7, 2026, it closed Hickory Grove and North Mecklenburg at 10:30 a.m. North Mecklenburg is also under construction: it is only selling bagged mulch and compost, and it doesn’t take business loads or dump trailers on Saturdays.
If the paint is still good, give it to a neighbor or a group that can use it. Charlotte’s own hazardous waste page just points you to the county centers. There is no PaintCare program in North Carolina, so paint stores here don’t take old paint back.
Keep paint in its original cans with the labels on. If a label is gone, write what it is on the can, and never mix different paints or chemicals. Make sure lids are tight and nothing leaks, and pack cans upright in a box. Display the blue sticker, and tell staff you’re bringing hazardous waste.
Full preparation checklist →Both. The county lists latex and oil-based paint, up to 100 pounds from a resident, at all four full-service centers.
Yes, for county residents. Mecklenburg County says household hazardous waste drop-off at its full-service centers is free, and the blue resident sticker is free. The town of Mint Hill also describes county hazardous waste drop-off as free for its residents.
Not for paint. The county says its staffed and self-serve recycling centers take no hazardous waste. Use one of the four full-service centers.
Not at the drop-off centers; they take household waste only. Very small businesses can use the county’s business hazardous waste event on Wednesday, November 18, 2026, at 5740 Rozzelles Ferry Road. For business latex paint, the county asks you to email solidwaste@MeckNC.gov.
You can buy a residential out-of-county sticker at the fee booth. It gives you the same access as a resident, but the county says not all disposal is free. Ask about paint before you unload.
October 7, 2026 check (peer-reviewed the same day): read Mecklenburg County’s hazardous waste page (latex and oil paint, 100-pound resident limit, free for county residents, four centers, packing rules), the facilities page (hours, blue sticker with proof of residency, same-day early closure of Hickory Grove and North Mecklenburg on October 7, North Mecklenburg construction notice), the Hickory Grove and Foxhole pages, the out-of-county sticker page, the business event page (November 18, 2026) and Charlotte’s hazardous waste page, which sends residents to the county centers. Not found: whether 100 pounds is per visit or per day, any official pounds-to-gallons figure, an official county rule on drying latex for the trash, the out-of-county sticker price, and whether North Mecklenburg is taking paint during construction. PaintCare lists no North Carolina program.
Checked October 7, 2026 against these sources, not by phone. How we research.
