Drop it off free
1 free paint drop-off site within 12 miles.
- Sherwin-WilliamsPaint store1.7 mi
- Sherwin-WilliamsPaint store25.7 mi
- Smittys Ace HardwarePaint store25.9 mi
Pendleton, OR Paint Disposal
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All drop-off locations in and near Pendleton4
Start with these
Sherwin-Williams, Pendleton (PaintCare drop-off)
115 SE Emigrant Ave, Pendleton, OR 97801
- Accepts
- Latex and oil-based house paint, primer, stain and varnish (PaintCare products), in containers up to 5 gallons.
- Who can use it
- Households and businesses in Oregon, per PaintCare. Businesses can bring oil-based paint only if they are a very small business under federal hazardous waste rules.
- Hours
- Paint is taken during store hours. PaintCare says to call ahead for hours and to make sure the store has room for what you bring.
- Load limits
- PaintCare lists 5 gallons per visit. Original labels, lids on, no leaks.
- Fees
- Free. Pendleton Sanitary Service also tells customers that Sherwin-Williams takes used paint at no charge.
No spray cans, empty cans, leaking cans or cans without labels. This is the only PaintCare site inside Pendleton, and its 5-gallon limit is small. PaintCare's 2025 report counts 1,127 gallons dropped here that year.
Smitty's Ace Hardware, Hermiston (PaintCare drop-off)
1845 N 1st St, Hermiston, OR 97838
- Accepts
- Latex and oil-based house paint, primer, stain and varnish, in containers up to 5 gallons.
- Who can use it
- Households and businesses in Oregon, per PaintCare. Business oil-based paint only from very small businesses.
- Hours
- Paint is taken during store hours. Call ahead for hours and to make sure the store can take your amount and type of paint (PaintCare).
- Load limits
- PaintCare lists 10 gallons per visit, twice the Pendleton store's limit.
- Fees
- Free for PaintCare products.
No spray cans, empty, leaking or unlabeled cans. It was the busiest PaintCare site in Umatilla County in 2025, with 1,283 gallons (PaintCare's 2025 Oregon report). Hermiston also has a Sherwin-Williams at 1390 N 1st St, limited to 5 gallons a visit.
Umatilla County household hazardous waste collection day (Oregon DEQ, Hermiston)
1740 E Airport Rd, Hermiston, OR 97838
- Accepts
- At the 2025 event: paint, household chemicals and cleaners, thermometers and thermostats, fluorescent lights, automotive fluids, batteries and more.
- Who can use it
- Umatilla County households (the 2025 notice was addressed to county residents). The 2025 event was run by the City of Hermiston, Umatilla County, Oregon DEQ and Sanitary Disposal. Ask DEQ about business waste.
- Hours
- One-day events only, not a permanent site. The last one we found was Saturday, May 17, 2025, 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., at the Umatilla County Fair office across from the Eastern Oregon Trade and Event Center. That date has passed. We found no 2026 event as of October 16, 2026.
- Load limits
- The 2025 notice gave no gallon limit. Products had to be in sealed original containers, packed in boxes or sturdy bins, not plastic garbage bags.
- Fees
- The 2025 event was free for households.
Not taken in 2025: radioactive waste, asbestos, ammunition, explosives, sharps, medicines and electronics. The 2025 event collected 1,028 gallons of paint (PaintCare's 2025 Oregon report). For the next date, call Laurie Gordon, DEQ's contact for Umatilla County, at 541-633-2029.
1 PaintCare drop-off site within 12 miles of Pendleton.
4 paint stores and 1 hazardous waste site, 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 Oregon
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
1.7 mi115 SE Emigrant Ave, Pendleton, OR 97801
- Limits
- Limit: 5 gallons per visit.
Sherwin-Williams
25.7 mi1390 N 1st St, Hermiston, OR 97838
- Limits
- Limit: 5 Gallons per visit.
Smittys Ace Hardware
25.9 mi1845 N 1st St, Hermiston, OR 97838
- Limits
- Limit: 10 gallons per visit.
Ranch & Home
30.1 mi85342 Hwy 11, Milton-Freewater, OR 97862
- Who
- Households and Businesses
- Limits
- Limit: 15 gallons per visit.
Sudbury Regional Landfill
33.8 mi414 Landfill Rd, Walla Walla, WA 99362
- Who
- Households Only (No Businesses) in Walla Walla County
- Hours
- Regular Hours: March 1 - October 31, Monday - Saturday 8:30 am - 6 pm Winter Hours: November 1 - February 28 Monday - Saturday 8:30 am - 4 pm
- Limits
- Limit: 25 gallons per visit.
- Products
- This site accepts latex and oil-based house paint, stains and varnish in containers up to 5 gallons in size. This site also takes most other household hazardous waste -- contact the site for details and restrictions. Please do not bring empty, leaking or unlabeled containers.
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 Pendleton cleanout?5
You have a few gallons of leftover wall paint
Take the labeled cans to Sherwin-Williams at 115 SE Emigrant Ave. It's free, up to 5 gallons a visit. Call 541-276-3463 to check hours and room.
You're emptying a rental and found 25 gallons
That's more than the Pendleton store takes in one visit. Take it to LaGrande Ace (100 gallons a visit), or split it between Ranch & Home in Milton-Freewater (15) and Smitty's Ace in Hermiston (10). Call each store first.
You have thinner, spray paint and old pesticides
Stores won't take these, and the transfer station bans chemicals and liquids. Keep them sealed for the next Umatilla County collection day. The last one we found was May 17, 2025 in Hermiston. Call DEQ at 541-633-2029 about the next date and what it takes.
You're a painting contractor with oil-based leftovers
PaintCare stores take business oil-based paint only from very small businesses. Pendleton Sanitary says business chemicals must go through DEQ's hazardous waste rules. With 100 gallons or more, book a free PaintCare pickup.
You live just over the line in Walla Walla County
As a Walla Walla County household, you can use the Sudbury Regional Landfill, which PaintCare lists at 25 gallons a visit. Pendleton residents can't; Oregon stores are their option.
Pendleton rules and tips5
THE LOCAL ANSWER
Take up to 5 gallons of labeled house paint to Sherwin-Williams, 115 SE Emigrant Ave (541-276-3463); call first. Don't take liquid paint to the Rieth Road transfer station: it bans liquid and hazardous waste. Umatilla County's last hazardous waste day was May 17, 2025 in Hermiston, and we found no 2026 date.
In Pendleton, Oregon (Umatilla County), leftover house paint goes to the Sherwin-Williams on SE Emigrant Avenue, which takes 5 gallons a visit for free. Pendleton has no hazardous waste drop-off of its own, and the Pendleton Sanitary Service transfer station on Rieth Road turns away liquids and chemicals. For more paint than 5 gallons, use the bigger PaintCare stores in Hermiston or La Grande, or ask PaintCare for a free pickup at 100 gallons.
One store in town, and it takes 5 gallons
Sherwin-Williams on SE Emigrant is the only PaintCare drop-off inside Pendleton, and PaintCare caps it at 5 gallons a visit. Pendleton Sanitary Service's own FAQ sends people there for paint. If you have more, split it into several trips or drive to a store with a higher limit.
The Rieth Road transfer station isn't for paint
Pendleton Sanitary's transfer station at 5500 NW Rieth Road (across from RDO Equipment) is open Monday to Saturday, 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Its list of banned items includes hazardous waste, liquid waste and chemicals. The 24/7 recycling depot at 610 SW Emigrant doesn't list paint either. The transfer station also closes on Roundup Friday.
Bigger loads: Hermiston, Milton-Freewater or La Grande
PaintCare lists Smitty's Ace in Hermiston at 10 gallons a visit, Ranch & Home on Highway 11 in Milton-Freewater at 15 gallons, and LaGrande Ace on Island Avenue at 100 gallons. Walla Walla is closer than La Grande, but its PaintCare stores list Washington customers, and the Sudbury landfill takes paint only from Walla Walla County households.
No standing hazardous waste site in Umatilla County
Thinner, spray cans and pesticides wait for a one-day collection. The last we found was May 17, 2025, at the Umatilla County Fair office in Hermiston, run by Hermiston, the county, Oregon DEQ and Sanitary Disposal. It took in 1,028 gallons of paint. DEQ's contact for the county is Laurie Gordon, 541-633-2029.
New blue carts don't take paint cans
Curbside recycling came to Pendleton in July 2026; the first pickups were the week of July 6. The East Oregonian's guide to the new service says cans of paint or stain, or anything with liquid, can't go in the recycling cart. The city's own notice also lists liquids as not allowed.
Free pickup programs and other options
If you have 100 gallons or more, PaintCare will pick it up for free; ask at View program details ↗ . In 2025 a Hermiston painting contractor and a city government there both used it. Usable paint can also go to a neighbor, church or school. For spray cans, thinner and other chemicals, watch for the next DEQ collection day or call 541-633-2029. Pendleton Sanitary Service's office is 541-276-1271.
Getting your paint ready
Keep paint in its original labeled can with the lid tight, 5 gallons or smaller. Count your gallons before you go: the Pendleton store takes 5, Hermiston's Smitty's takes 10. Leave spray cans, empty cans and leaking cans out of the box. Call the store first to make sure it has room.
Full preparation checklist →Pendleton questions5
Where can I drop off paint in Pendleton?
Sherwin-Williams, 115 SE Emigrant Ave, is the only PaintCare drop-off in town. It takes up to 5 gallons a visit for free. Call 541-276-3463 before you go.
Can I take paint to the Pendleton transfer station?
Not liquid paint. Pendleton Sanitary Service lists hazardous waste, liquid waste and chemicals as banned at the Rieth Road station. Its FAQ points paint to Sherwin-Williams.
When is the next hazardous waste collection near Pendleton?
We found no 2026 event as of October 16, 2026. The last one we found was May 17, 2025, at the Umatilla County Fair office in Hermiston. Call Oregon DEQ's Laurie Gordon at 541-633-2029 for the next date.
I have 30 gallons. Where can I take it all at once?
PaintCare lists LaGrande Ace, 2212 Island Ave in La Grande, at up to 100 gallons a visit. Closer stores take less: 15 gallons at Ranch & Home in Milton-Freewater and 10 at Smitty's Ace in Hermiston. Call ahead.
Can I put paint cans in my new recycling cart?
No. The East Oregonian's July 2026 guide to Pendleton's new curbside service says cans of paint or stain, or anything with liquid, don't belong in the cart. The City of Pendleton's notice also bans liquids.
Sources and how we checked14
October 16, 2026: read Pendleton Sanitary Service's FAQ, transfer station, recycling and hours pages; the East Oregonian's July 2, 2026 recycling story (the paint-can rule is the paper's wording, not a quote from the hauler) and the City of Pendleton's rate notice; the Hermiston Herald's April 2025 notice of the May 17, 2025 collection; Oregon DEQ's event contacts; PaintCare's 2025 Oregon annual report and DEQ's 2025 paint volume estimate (Umatilla wasteshed 4,825 gallons: 62% stores, 21% the 2025 event, 17% large pickups); and PaintCare locator data. Searches found no 2026 Umatilla County or Pendleton hazardous waste event and no county solid waste page. Unresolved: whether DEQ will hold a 2026 or 2027 event; whether the transfer station takes fully dried latex in the trash (the hauler's FAQ only says liquid household chemicals can be soaked up with cat litter and trashed); store hours. No phone calls made.
Checked October 16, 2026 against these sources, not by phone. How we research.
PaintCare drop-off site locator ↗PaintCare Oregon ↗Pendleton Sanitary Service: FAQ (household chemicals and paint) ↗Pendleton Sanitary Service: Transfer Station (fees, prohibited wastes) ↗Pendleton Sanitary Service: Recycling and depots ↗Pendleton Sanitary Service: Hours of operation and holidays ↗East Oregonian: Recycling to start in Pendleton (July 2, 2026) ↗City of Pendleton: Garbage collection fees to increase ahead of comingled recycling ↗Hermiston Herald: Umatilla County event accepts household hazardous waste (April 24, 2025) ↗Oregon DEQ: household hazardous waste events and county contacts ↗PaintCare Oregon 2025 annual report, filed with Oregon DEQ (PDF) ↗Oregon DEQ: Estimate of 2025 Paint Collection Volumes by Wasteshed (PDF) ↗PaintCare business limits (very small businesses and oil-based paint) ↗PaintCare free large-volume pickup (100+ gallons) ↗
