Everything you need to get rid of leftover paint responsibly in Columbus.
645 E 8th Ave, Columbus, OH 43201
The entrance is at the corner of E. 8th Avenue and Essex Avenue. SWACO’s page doesn’t say what proof of address you need, so bring an ID with your Franklin County address. The site also now takes food scraps, scrap metal, appliances and large blocks of foam.
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.
645 E 8th Ave, Columbus, OH 43201
222 Garfield Ave., London, OH 43140
15140 US-36 E, Marysville, OH 43040
From PaintCare’s drop-off map ↗, updated October 6, 2026. Hours and limits are PaintCare’s. Distances are straight-line, not driving.
If it’s latex, dry it. Pour in cat litter or a paint hardener, leave the lid off until it’s solid, and put it in your city trash. It costs nothing and you skip the drive.
Load it all up for East 8th Avenue on a weekday. SWACO takes oil-based paint, stains, thinners, turpentine and spray paint for free from Franklin County homes. Keep each product in its own labeled container.
Drying that much takes a long time. Call EEI at 614-294-1300 to ask about the current fee; SWACO says it’s typically about $1.00 a gallon.
SWACO’s free program isn’t open to businesses. Call EEI at 614-294-1300 for a quote to drop off or have your paint picked up.
Take oil-based paint, stain and spray paint to SWACO’s free drop-off at 645 E 8th Ave (Monday–Friday 9–5, first Saturday 9–2), if you live in Franklin County. Latex isn’t free there: dry it with cat litter or hardener and put it in the trash with the lid off, or pay EEI about $1 a gallon to take it.
Columbus trash goes through SWACO, the Solid Waste Authority of Central Ohio. SWACO runs a free hazardous waste site on the Near East Side at E. 8th and Essex, open on weekdays. It takes oil-based paint for free. Latex paint isn’t part of the free program: dry it for the trash, or pay about $1 a gallon to drop it there.
SWACO says latex and water-based paint isn’t hazardous. Stir in cat litter, sawdust or a store-bought paint hardener, leave the lid off, and put the dry can in your city trash. Litter or sawdust can take several days to set up.
Bring oil-based paint, spray paint, stain, thinner and turpentine to 645 E 8th Ave, Monday–Friday 9–5 or the first Saturday of the month, 9–2. It’s free for Franklin County residents. The city says never to put oil-based paint in your refuse container.
If you have too much latex to dry, call EEI, the company that runs the site, at 614-294-1300. SWACO says the fee is typically about $1.00 a gallon.
SWACO’s 2026 event page lists one community collection: Westerville on October 3, 2026, 8 a.m.–2 p.m. That date has passed. You don’t need an event anyway, since the East 8th Avenue site is open every weekday.
Habitat for Humanity MidOhio’s ReStore donation page lists opened paint and chemicals as things it can’t accept. Call 614-364-7028 before bringing sealed cans.
There’s no free store take-back in Ohio; PaintCare doesn’t run a program here. For half-full cans of latex, give them to a neighbor or a group that paints, or dry them for the trash. Some suburbs host their own SWACO-backed collection days; check SWACO’s event page for 2027 dates.
Keep oil-based paint and stain in the original labeled cans with tight lids, and keep them upright in the trunk. For latex going to the trash, mix in cat litter or sawdust about half and half, let it harden with the lid off, and leave the lid off at the curb.
Full preparation checklist →Yes, once it’s completely dry. SWACO says to harden it with cat litter, sawdust or a paint hardener, leave the lid off, then put it in the trash. Liquid paint can spill and isn’t allowed.
Free for oil-based paint, stain, spray paint and other hazardous items from Franklin County homes. Latex paint costs extra, typically about $1.00 a gallon through EEI.
Only the first Saturday of each month, 9 a.m.–2 p.m. Otherwise it’s Monday–Friday, 9 a.m.–5 p.m., closed holidays.
Not for free. SWACO’s program is for households. Businesses call EEI at 614-294-1300 for a price to drop off or have materials collected.
SWACO at 614-871-5100, or Columbus 311 at 614-645-3111.
October 7, 2026: read SWACO’s household hazardous waste page (opened in a browser; it blocks scripted requests) and 2026 events page, SWACO’s Recycle Right latex paint page, the City of Columbus hazardous waste page, EEI’s contact page and Habitat MidOhio’s ReStore donation page. PaintCare’s locator also lists the East 8th Avenue site. SWACO’s only listed 2026 community event (Westerville, October 3, 2026) has passed. Not found: what proof of Franklin County residency is checked, any container or gallon limit, whether latex is paid at the same counter or by appointment, and whether Habitat MidOhio takes sealed paint. 6665 Busch Blvd is Habitat MidOhio’s office, not a ReStore, so the address was dropped. No paint swap or reuse program found in SWACO’s reuse pages.
Checked October 7, 2026 against these sources, not by phone. How we research.
