Drop it off
The closest drop-off sites to Cookeville:
- Overton County Convenience Center · Livingston Recycling and Convenience CenterHazardous waste site17.4 mi
Cookeville, TN Paint Disposal
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All drop-off locations in and near Cookeville2
Start with these
Putnam County Household Hazardous Waste Facility
2101-A West Jackson St., Cookeville, TN 38501
- Accepts
- Oil-based paint, aerosols, paints and cleaners, flammable liquids, corrosive, oxidizing and reactive materials, household cleaners and solvents, propane cylinders, fire extinguishers, herbicides and pesticides, pool chemicals, rechargeable batteries, and fluorescent bulbs and tubes up to 8 feet. Not accepted: latex paint, car batteries, antifreeze, used oil and filters, sharps, medicines, ammunition, explosives and radioactive materials.
- Who can use it
- Putnam County households. The county says it only accepts waste generated in Putnam County, and TDEC lists this as the permanent site for Putnam County residents. Businesses are sent to Clean Harbors at 615-643-3170.
- Hours
- Sources disagree. Putnam County lists Monday to Friday, 7 a.m.-3 p.m. The City of Cookeville lists Monday, Wednesday and Thursday 7 a.m.-3 p.m., and Tuesday and Friday 7 a.m. to noon. Call 931-400-0622 before you go. The county says nothing is accepted unless staff are present.
- Load limits
- Oil-based paint: 5 gallons a week.
- Fees
- No fee is published for households.
Latex paint is on the facility’s not-accepted list; dry it instead. The county lists 931-528-3884 as the facility’s non-emergency contact number.
Putnam County convenience centers (Dacco Quarry and others)
3000 Dacco Quarry Rd., Cookeville, TN
- Accepts
- Residential household trash, used oil, cardboard, metal and appliances, paper, #1 and #2 plastic, cans, furniture, leaves, mattresses. Hazardous waste is not accepted. The county’s latex flier says dried paint cans can come to a convenience site if the lids are off: the attendant inspects them and tells you which container to use.
- Who can use it
- Putnam County residents’ household trash only. No out-of-county waste.
- Hours
- 6:30 a.m.-6:30 p.m. Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday and Saturday. Other centers with the same hours include Bangham (5759 Hilham Rd., 931-528-5693), Brotherton (7200 Brotherton Mountain Road, 931-537-3811), Monterey (2730 Old Walton Rd., 931-839-3482), Burgess Falls (6007 Burgess Falls Rd., Baxter, 931-432-4246), Bloomington Springs (6670 Martin Creek Rd., Baxter, 931-858-3271), Gentry (14226 Nashville Hwy., Buffalo Valley, 931-858-5842) and Silver Point (13601 Center Hill Dam Road, 931-858-6449). Buffalo Valley (2717 Buffalo Valley School Road, 931-858-3547) is open Monday, Wednesday and Friday only.
- Load limits
- No double-axle trailers. No tires, construction waste, brush, wire or commercial waste.
- Fees
- No fee is listed for residents’ household trash.
The county says latex paint has not been accepted at Dacco Quarry since May 4, 2020; its flier allows dried, open cans after inspection. Oil-based paint goes to the hazardous waste facility, not here.
The closest paint drop-off sites to Cookeville.
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.
Overton County Convenience Center · Livingston Recycling and Convenience Center
17.4 mi245 Industrial Park Dr, Livingston, TN 38570
- Who
- Households Only (No Businesses) in Overton County
- Hours
- Monday through Friday. 8am - 4 pm. Saturday, 8 am - 4 pm. Scales close Monday through Friday at 3:30 pm Scales close Saturday at 1 pm
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 Cookeville cleanout?4
Three gallons of oil-based trim paint
Take them to 2101-A West Jackson St. during staffed hours; three gallons is under the 5-gallon weekly limit. Call 931-400-0622 first if you’re going on a Tuesday or Friday afternoon.
Ten gallons of stain from refinishing a deck
The county’s latex flier says oil-based paint and stain go to the hazardous waste facility, and the facility lists a 5-gallon weekly limit for oil-based paint, so expect more than one trip. Ask staff whether stain counts toward that limit when you call 931-400-0622.
A garage full of half-used latex cans
Don’t take liquid latex to the hazardous waste facility, which lists latex as not accepted. Pour thin layers into a wider container or add kitty litter or sawdust, let it dry, then double-bag it for the trash or take the open, dried cans to a convenience center for inspection.
Paint left over from a contractor’s job
The county facility is for households, and Putnam County directs business hazardous waste to Clean Harbors at 615-643-3170. Commercial waste is allowed only at the transfer station, which doesn’t take paint.
Cookeville rules and tips5
THE LOCAL ANSWER
Take oil-based paint and stain to the Putnam County Household Hazardous Waste Facility, 2101-A West Jackson St., up to 5 gallons a week; call 931-400-0622 first because the county and city list different hours. Dry latex paint completely and put it in your household trash. The hazardous waste facility won’t take latex, and the county says Dacco Quarry stopped taking latex paint in 2020.
This guide covers Cookeville, Tennessee, and Putnam County, which also includes Algood, Baxter and Monterey. TDEC lists Putnam as one of five Tennessee counties with a permanent household hazardous waste site. Putnam County’s facility is at 2101-A West Jackson St. in Cookeville. It takes oil-based paint from county residents on weekdays, up to 5 gallons a week. Latex paint is not taken there; dry it and throw it away. Tennessee has no PaintCare program.
Cookeville has a weekday hazardous waste site
TDEC lists Putnam as one of five counties with a permanent site, and its mobile events no longer take paint anyway. Putnam County’s facility at 2101-A West Jackson St. accepts oil-based paint (5 gallons a week; the county’s flier says oil-based paint and stain go there), aerosols, solvents, pesticides, pool chemicals and fluorescent tubes. The county says nothing is accepted unless staff are present, and it only accepts waste generated in Putnam County.
Two sets of hours: call 931-400-0622
Putnam County’s page says the facility is open Monday to Friday, 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. The City of Cookeville’s garbage page says Monday, Wednesday and Thursday 7 a.m. to 3 p.m., but only 7 a.m. to noon on Tuesday and Friday. If you plan to go on a Tuesday or Friday afternoon, call 931-400-0622 first.
The county flier explains how to dry latex
Putnam County’s latex flier says to leave the lid off in a dry place, pour thin layers into a wider container, set it in the sun, or add kitty litter, wood chips, sawdust or mulch. If you can hold the can upside down comfortably, it’s dry enough. Double-bag it for your regular garbage. The City of Cookeville says to dry small amounts and mix large amounts with cat litter; wet paint can’t go in the city bin.
Dried cans can also go to a convenience center
The flier says that if you take dried paint cans to a Putnam County convenience site, the lids must be off so the attendant can inspect them, and you put them in the container you’re shown. Separately, the county says latex paint has not been accepted at the Dacco Quarry center since May 4, 2020, and points to the flier for directions. The centers are open 6:30 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday and Saturday, except Buffalo Valley, which opens only Monday, Wednesday and Friday.
Keep paint out of the city’s 96-gallon cart until it’s solid
Cookeville’s cart rules say no solvents, paints or other flammable liquids, and no liquids or chemicals. Dried latex is the exception the city’s garbage page allows. Put the cart near the street by 7 a.m. on pickup day and bring it in before 7 p.m. Bulky items go out on the first and third Tuesdays after you call 931-520-5201; no source lists paint as a bulky item.
Free pickup programs and other options
Tennessee has no PaintCare program, so there are no PaintCare store drop-offs. The Upper Cumberland Habitat for Humanity ReStore (560 S. Jefferson Ave., Suite 1B, 931-528-1709) lists used paint among items it can’t accept. Businesses aren’t served by the county facility; Putnam County and the City of Cookeville both send business hazardous waste to Clean Harbors at 615-643-3170. Commercial trash goes to the county transfer station at 1846 S. Jefferson Ave., which doesn’t take paint, and the county landfill refuses paint and all liquids.
Getting your paint ready
Sort by type. TDEC’s guide says latex is water-based and cleans up with water, while oil-based paint is flammable and can’t go in the trash. Keep oil-based cans in their labeled containers with tight lids and count gallons so you stay within 5 a week. For latex, dry it all the way to the bottom of the can, then double-bag the can, or take the open, dried can to a convenience center for inspection.
Full preparation checklist →Cookeville questions5
Where do I take oil-based paint in Cookeville, TN?
To the Putnam County Household Hazardous Waste Facility, 2101-A West Jackson St. It takes up to 5 gallons a week from Putnam County residents. Call 931-400-0622 to check hours.
Does the hazardous waste facility take latex paint?
No. Putnam County lists latex paint among items not accepted there. Dry it and put it in your household trash, double-bagged.
What are the facility’s hours?
The county says Monday to Friday, 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. The city says it closes at noon on Tuesdays and Fridays. Call 931-400-0622 to be sure.
Can I bring paint from outside Putnam County?
No. Putnam County says it only accepts waste generated in the county, and its convenience sites, transfer station and landfill take no out-of-county waste.
Can my painting business use the county facility?
No. The county and the city both send business hazardous waste to Clean Harbors at 615-643-3170.
Sources and how we checked10
October 17, 2026: read Putnam County’s Solid Waste and Recycling page and its latex paint flier (an image PDF, read visually), the City of Cookeville’s Garbage Collection and Residential Garbage Collection pages, TDEC’s HHW program page, BOPAE page and 2026 schedule (no Putnam County mobile event listed), Upper Cumberland Habitat’s ReStore page and Habitat’s listing, and PaintCare’s locator data (no Putnam County record). Unresolved: the facility’s hours (county and city disagree); whether stain counts toward the 5-gallon weekly oil-based paint limit (the flier sends stain to the facility); whether the facility charges households (no fee is published). No phone calls were made.
Checked October 17, 2026 against these sources, not by phone. How we research.
Putnam County, TN: Solid Waste and Recycling ↗Putnam County Solid Waste: How to Dispose of Latex Paint (flier) ↗City of Cookeville: Garbage Collection (hazardous materials and latex paint) ↗City of Cookeville: Residential Garbage Collection ↗TDEC: Household Hazardous Waste Program ↗TDEC: Household Batteries, Oil, Paint, Antifreeze and Electronics (BOPAE) ↗TDEC: 2026 Household Hazardous Waste Schedule ↗Upper Cumberland Habitat for Humanity: ReStore ↗Habitat for Humanity: Upper Cumberland HFH ReStore listing ↗PaintCare drop-off site locator ↗
