Everything you need to get rid of leftover paint responsibly in Harrisburg.
1820 Paxton St., Harrisburg, PA
Use the Recycle Coach app or call 717-412-4320 for your pickup day. Never put liquid paint in the bin.
1625 S. Cameron St., Harrisburg, PA 17104
It sits at the entrance to the Susquehanna Resource Management Complex, between the Dairy Queen and Quigley's in Steelton. Call 717-982-6772 to ask what to do with oil-based paint; the county's paint pickup program has ended.
1299 Harrisburg Pike, Lancaster, PA 17603
This site is in Lancaster, not Harrisburg, and is not set up for Dauphin County residents. LCSWMA's page tells Dauphin County residents to contact the Dauphin County Recycling Center (717-982-6772) about hazardous waste. Only drive here if LCSWMA tells you by phone that you can drop off.
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.
1001 Claremont Rd, Carlisle, PA 17015
2685 Blackthorne Court, Manchester Township, PA 17406
1800 Russell Rd, Lebanon, PA 17046
1299 Harrisburg Pike, Lancaster, PA 17603
From PaintCare’s drop-off map ↗, updated October 6, 2026. Hours and limits are PaintCare’s. Distances are straight-line, not driving.
Dry them with kitty litter and use your regular weekly trash day. The empty metal cans can go in your city recycling bin. Use the Recycle Coach app or call 717-412-4320 to check your zone's day.
No county program takes it now. PA DEP says oil-based products are hazardous and should go to a collection program when one is available. Without one, DEP allows small amounts in the trash only if absorbed, sealed and spread over several pickups.
Harrisburg sends construction debris to the transfer station at the incinerator on 19th Street and suggests a Public Works roll-off or a private hauler for cleanouts. Dry latex paint first; paint isn't on the complex's list of what it takes.
LCSWMA's hazardous waste site at 1299 Harrisburg Pike in Lancaster is for Lancaster County residents only. LCSWMA asks people from outside the county to call 717-397-9968 first. Don't make the drive without a yes.
Fill the paint can with kitty litter, let it dry, put the dried paint in your city trash, and put the empty can in recycling. A township notice says Dauphin County's hazardous waste pickup has ended, and there is no paint drop-off in the county. For oil-based paint, follow PA DEP's trash rules or hire a private company.
Harrisburg tells you to dry old paint with kitty litter, put it in the trash and recycle the empty can. Dauphin County's household hazardous waste pickup has ended, according to a township notice, and there is no county drop-off site for paint. Pennsylvania has no paint store take-back program either.
Harrisburg's trash page says to fill the can with kitty litter, let it dry, put the dried paint in the trash and put the empty can in your recycling bin.
Dauphin County used to offer a once-a-year hazardous waste pickup with Waste Management. Middle Paxton Township updated its notice on February 17, 2026, saying the program is no longer available. The county's own waste website no longer lists it.
The Dauphin County Recycling Center at 1625 S. Cameron St. takes electronics and appliances, not paint. It's at the entrance to the Susquehanna Resource Management Complex, the trash-to-energy plant, but that doesn't make it a paint drop-off.
Lancaster County's hazardous waste site is for Lancaster County residents, and Cumberland County's appointment events (next on Thursday, October 29, 2026) are only for Cumberland residents and small businesses. A Harrisburg address doesn't qualify for either one.
If the paint is still good, give it to a neighbor, school or community group. For oil-based paint, PA DEP says to use a collection program if one exists. If none does, it allows small amounts in the trash only if you absorb the liquid in kitty litter or sawdust, pack it so it can't leak, and put it out a little at a time over several weeks. Call Dauphin County at 717-982-6772 to check for new options first.
Work outside or in a garage with the door open. Pour a little latex at a time into the can, add kitty litter, stir, and let it set until it's solid. Scoop the dried paint into a trash bag and rinse or wipe the empty can before it goes in recycling. Don't put liquid paint in any bin.
Full preparation checklist →Dried paint, yes. The city says to fill the can with kitty litter, let it dry, put the litter in the trash and recycle the empty can.
No. Middle Paxton Township updated its notice on February 17, 2026, saying the county and Waste Management pickup program is no longer available. Call the county at 717-982-6772 to ask whether anything new is planned.
LCSWMA's Susquehanna Resource Management Complex takes residential trash, bulky items and construction waste from Dauphin County. Its page does not list paint, so don't bring liquid paint there.
There is no public drop-off for Harrisburg residents right now. PA DEP allows small amounts in the trash only after the liquid is soaked up in an absorbent like kitty litter or sawdust, packed so it can't leak, and set out a little at a time. A private hazardous waste company is the other option.
Checked October 7, 2026. Harrisburg's trash and recycling page (read in a browser; plain requests were blocked) gives the kitty litter steps and says to recycle the empty can. Dauphin County's solid waste site has no hazardous waste page, and its recycling center list (hours Monday to Friday 8:30 a.m. to 4:15 p.m.) has no paint. Middle Paxton Township's notice, updated February 17, 2026, says the county and Waste Management pickup program is no longer available; we found no county page saying otherwise. Washington Township posted a 2024 county notice that the program was on hold because Waste Management's processor doubled its rates. Peer review found no Dauphin County web page on the program either way; LCSWMA's page tells Dauphin County residents to contact the Dauphin County Recycling Center about hazardous waste. LCSWMA's hazardous waste site is for Lancaster County residents (call if outside the county); the Susquehanna Resource Management Complex page lists trash, bulky items, construction waste and recycling, not paint. Cumberland County's 2026 events (October 29 upcoming) are for Cumberland residents and small businesses only. PA DEP's county program list doesn't include Dauphin. Unresolved: whether Dauphin County plans a new program; county phone line not yet called. Pennsylvania has no PaintCare program.
Checked October 7, 2026 against these sources, not by phone. How we research.
