Everything you need to get rid of leftover paint responsibly in Cleveland.
5600 Carnegie Ave, Cleveland, OH 44103
Only open for hazardous waste one day a month. Don’t bring latex or empty, dry or leaking cans. Call 3-1-1 or 216-664-2397 if a first Friday falls on a holiday.
3727 Ridge Rd, Cleveland, OH 44144
West-side option for Old Brooklyn, Jefferson and the Ridge Road corridor. Same once-a-month schedule as Carr Center. Latex is turned away.
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.
5600 Carnegie Ave, Cleveland, OH 44103
3727 Ridge Rd, Cleveland, OH 44144
9400 Memphis Ave, Brooklyn, OH 44144
19065 Holland Rd, Brook Park, OH 44142
12920 Berea Rd, Lakewood, OH 44111
57 Garlield Lane, Village of Bratenahl, OH 44108
6184 Pearl Rd., Parma Heights, OH 44130
6800 Brecksville Rd., Independence, OH 44131
2300 Warrensville Center Rd, University Heights, OH 44124
19700 Miles Ave, Warrensville Heights, OH 44128
23355 Mercantile Rd, Beachwood, OH 44122
22401 Lake Rd, Cleveland, OH 44126
19065 Holland Rd, Brook Park, OH 44142
3636 Maplecrest, Woodmere, OH 44122
28000 Shaker Blvd, Pepper Pike, OH 44124
5301 Mayfield Rd, Lyndhurst, OH 44124
7375 Engle Rd, Middleburg Heights, OH 44130
25401 Solon Rd, Bedford Heights, OH 44146
9023 Brecksville Rd., Brecksville, OH 44141
4680 Lander Rd, Orange Village, OH 44022
26260 Chardonview Rd, Richmond Heights, OH 44143
From PaintCare’s drop-off map ↗, updated October 6, 2026. Hours and limits are PaintCare’s. Distances are straight-line, not driving.
Wall paint is almost always latex. Leave the lids off until it’s hard, or stir in kitty litter. Then put the cans in your trash cart with the lids off. No trip needed.
Load them up for the next first Friday of the month, and call 3-1-1 to confirm it’s on. Go to Carr Center if you’re east or downtown, Ridge Road if you’re west. It’s free.
Don’t drive to Cleveland’s sites. Each city collects from its own residents. Choose your city on CuyahogaRecycles.org, then follow its schedule.
City sites take household waste only. Call the county’s business recycling specialist at 216-443-3732. Ohio EPA notes that waste from a residential job may count as household waste, but you still need a proper outlet for it.
Take oil-based paint, stain and thinner to the Carr Center (5600 Carnegie Ave) or Ridge Road Transfer Station (3727 Ridge Rd) on the first Friday of the month (call 3-1-1 to confirm the date). It’s free for Cleveland households. Latex isn’t taken: dry it out and put it in your trash with the lid off.
Cleveland takes oil-based paint and other household chemicals for free, but only on the first Friday of each month, at the Carr Center on Carnegie Avenue and the Ridge Road Transfer Station. Latex paint is not taken there. The city and the county both say to dry latex and put it in your trash.
Both city sites take hazardous waste only on the first Friday of the month, 9 a.m.–3 p.m. per PaintCare’s listing. The city doesn’t publish a calendar of dates, so call 3-1-1 to confirm the next one, especially near a holiday. On any other day, the same sites take recycling but not paint.
Carr Center is at 5600 Carnegie Ave, near the East Side and downtown. Ridge Road Transfer Station is at 3727 Ridge Rd, closer to Old Brooklyn and the west side. Both take the same things on the same day.
The city’s 2026 guide says latex isn’t hazardous but must be dried first. Leave the lid off to air-dry, or stir in kitty litter or Oil-Dri. The county adds that thin layers in a plastic-lined box dry faster for big amounts. Liquid paint never goes in the cart.
The Cuyahoga County Solid Waste District pays for household hazardous waste disposal, but its own center is closed to the public. Each city collects from its own residents and passes it on. If you live in Lakewood, Parma or another suburb, use your own city’s program, not Cleveland’s.
The county suggests giving usable latex to a theater group, community development group or neighborhood project. It lists Another Chance of Ohio (216-341-8733). Call first; paint that froze or has debris in it won’t be wanted.
Dried latex goes in your regular trash. Usable paint can go to a theater, neighborhood group or other reuse project; the county lists Another Chance of Ohio (216-341-8733), but call first. Ohio has no PaintCare program, so stores don’t take paint back for free. Businesses can call the county’s business recycling specialist at 216-443-3732 for options.
Keep oil-based paint in its original, labeled can with the lid on tight. Pack cans upright in a box. Leave latex at home to dry. When you put dried latex out, leave the lid off so the crew can see it’s solid.
Full preparation checklist →No. Latex isn’t taken. Dry it with the lid off or with kitty litter, then put it in your trash.
The first Friday of each month. The city doesn’t post specific dates, so call 3-1-1 to confirm before you go, especially around holidays.
No. The county pays for household hazardous waste from its 59 communities, including Cleveland.
Plan on using your own city’s program. The county says most cities only take waste from their own residents. Pick your city on CuyahogaRecycles.org to see its details.
No. They take household waste only. Businesses can call the county’s business recycling specialist at 216-443-3732.
October 7, 2026: read the City of Cleveland drop-off page and its March 2026 Waste and Recycling Guide (PDF); the Cuyahoga County Solid Waste District’s program, hazardous waste and latex pages; Ohio EPA’s household hazardous waste guide; and PaintCare’s locator data for the two city sites. The city names the sites and the first-Friday schedule but doesn’t print hazardous waste hours; the 9 a.m.–3 p.m. time comes from PaintCare’s listings, which match the sites’ regular hours. Peer review (October 7, 2026) removed two computed future first-Friday dates because the city publishes only the first-Friday rule, not a calendar. The city’s page names “oil, cleaners, solvents” rather than paint by name; oil-based paint acceptance comes from PaintCare’s listings for both sites and the county’s HHW definition. Another Chance of Ohio’s own website (contact page lists 2974 E. 65th St, 44105) describes a free store and does not mention paint. Not found: a paint limit, ID rules, and whether a hazardous waste visit counts toward the four-a-year bulky drop-off cap. The county lists Another Chance of Ohio at 2974 E. 65th St; we did not confirm it still takes paint.
Checked October 7, 2026 against these sources, not by phone. How we research.
