Everything you need to get rid of leftover paint responsibly in Lima.
815 Shawnee Rd, Suite D, Lima, OH 45805
Call 419-228-8278 (or 800-553-6763) to book; cancel at least two business days ahead. The district warns that leaving items at the site outside your appointment will be prosecuted as illegal dumping. Two points come only from PaintCare's listing: it describes this site as for Allen County households, and it says the site won't take empty, dry or leaking paint cans. The flyer prints August 22 out of order, between August 5 and August 19, which may be a typo; it does not affect the fall dates.
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.
815 Shawnee Rd, Lima, OH 45805
15502 Saint Marys River Rd, St Marys, OH 45885
1025 S. Main St., Kenton, OH 43326
1600 Riverside Dr, Sidney, OH 45365
1017 E. Sandusky St, Findlay, OH 45840
From PaintCare’s drop-off map ↗, updated October 6, 2026. Hours and limits are PaintCare’s. Distances are straight-line, not driving.
NCO's 2026 appointments are over by then, and the program restarts in April. Keep the lid on tight and store the can where it won't freeze, as NCO's paint tips advise, then call for an appointment once spring dates are posted.
Don't pay $1 a pound to drop them at NCO. Open the nearly empty ones to air-dry and mix kitty litter or sawdust into the fuller ones. Once solid, set them out with your Rumpke trash.
Kenton is in Hardin County, which NCO also serves. Hardin has its own appointment days at the sheriff's office, 1025 S. Main St, Kenton, 9 a.m.-noon; the last 2026 one is set for October 23, booked through the same 419-228-8278 number. Wapakoneta is in Auglaize County, which NCO does not serve, so check with Auglaize County instead.
If the paint came from the household, you can book it in, but you sign a form saying it came from a home. NCO can't take commercial, industrial or other non-household waste, so paint from a business or job site goes to a licensed hazardous waste company instead.
Dry latex paint with kitty litter or sawdust and put it in your Lima trash; the NCO district and Rumpke both allow it once it's solid. For oil-based paint, stain or thinner, call NCO at 419-228-8278 to book an appointment at 815 Shawnee Rd; the last 2026 dates are set for October 21 and 28. It costs at least $1 a pound, cash or check, and runs only April through October.
In Lima, Ohio (Allen County, Ohio, not Allen County, Indiana), the North Central Ohio Solid Waste District takes paint at its own office on Shawnee Road. It works by appointment on set days from April through October, and you pay by the pound. Latex paint doesn't need to go there: dry it out and put it in your trash.
The NCO district office at 815 Shawnee Rd, Suite D, takes household hazardous waste by appointment only, 10 a.m.-2 p.m. on the dates in its 2026 flyer, April to October. Call 419-228-8278 and have a list of what you're bringing. The last 2026 dates are set for October 21 and October 28; cancel two business days ahead if plans change.
Unlike the free county days in some Ohio counties, NCO charges at least $1.00 a pound for paint and other hazardous waste, cash or check only. A few heavy cans of oil paint add up, so dry out any latex first instead of paying to drop it off.
NCO says latex must be dried to a solid, by leaving the lid off or stirring in kitty litter, oil dry, sawdust, sand or a paint hardener, and then it can go in household trash. If Rumpke picks up your trash, its guide says the same: latex is taken curbside once it's solidified with cat litter or shredded newspaper. Rumpke's Lima page also asks you to keep each can or bag under 50 pounds. Oil-based paint, spray paint, stain and sealer must go to the district.
Allen County Recyclers on S. Central Ave and the Waste Management site on Buckeye Rd are listed for cardboard, paper, cans and plastic bottles, not paint. NCO lists the Rumpke transfer station on S. Metcalf St as a trash site, and Rumpke's own guide sends oil-based paint to your solid waste district.
The Lima Area Habitat ReStore at 550 W. Elm St lists oil-based paint and flammable chemicals among items it does not accept. Its donation list does not mention latex either way, so call 419-222-4257 before bringing any.
Dry latex at home and trash it. The same Shawnee Road appointments serve Allen County, including Elida, Spencerville, Gomer, Cairo, Harrod and Lafayette, and the flyer's sign-in form also names households from Champaign, Hardin, Madison, Shelby and Union counties. Between November and March there is no NCO drop-off; keep oil-based cans sealed until April. Ohio has no PaintCare program, so stores don't take paint back for free.
Check the label: soap-and-water cleanup means latex, which you dry and trash. For your NCO appointment, list each product before you call, keep cans in original labeled containers, and don't combine leftovers. Bring cash or a check. You'll sign a form saying the paint came from a home, not a business or farm.
Full preparation checklist →Yes. NCO charges a minimum of $1.00 a pound for household hazardous waste, including paint, and takes cash or check only. Dried latex in your trash costs nothing extra.
No. Every visit is booked by phone at 419-228-8278. The district says leaving items outside your appointment counts as illegal dumping.
The 2026 appointments end in late October; the last dates are set for October 21 and October 28. The program runs April to October, so the next chance is spring 2027 once the district posts new dates.
Yes, once it's solid. Both NCO and Rumpke say to harden it with cat litter, sawdust or a similar absorbent first. Liquid paint should not go in the cart.
No. The district says by law it can't take commercial, industrial, farm or other non-household waste. Ohio EPA's business paint guide explains your options.
October 16, 2026: read NCO Solid Waste District's household hazardous waste page, its 2026 Allen County flyer (PDF, downloaded and read as text), its home page fall notice, paint tips page, Allen County drop-off pages and landfill/transfer station list; Rumpke's hazardous waste guide and Lima trash pickup page; the Lima Area Habitat ReStore donation page; Ohio EPA's guides; and PaintCare locator site 14656. The flyer prints August 22 out of order, between August 5 and August 19, possibly a typo. The flyer gives dates but not weekdays; "Wednesdays" comes from PaintCare's listing. PaintCare's listing calls this site Allen County only, while the flyer form names all six NCO counties; we kept both and suggest asking when you call. We could not find a City of Lima page on paint or trash rules; Rumpke's page says it serves homes in Lima but not whether it is the only hauler, so the guide says "if Rumpke picks up your trash." Peer review on October 16, 2026 rechecked every source and the Hardin flyer's Kenton dates. The ReStore's list is silent on latex. No 2027 dates were posted.
Checked October 16, 2026 against these sources, not by phone. How we research.
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