Everything you need to get rid of leftover paint responsibly in Johnson City.
193 Cash Hollow Road, Johnson City, TN
Attendants can refuse any load. The county page says it runs five centers; the Lamar brush site and the tire center in Kingsport are separate. Cover your load: the county FAQ cites a Tennessee law with a $200 fine for uncovered loads.
Daniel Boone High School, 1440 Suncrest Drive, Gray, TN
Don’t save paint for this day. Keep items in original containers, don’t mix them, and pack them in sturdy boxes lined with newspaper.
1705 E. Main St., Johnson City, TN 37601
Not a paint drop-off as far as the sources show, so ask before you bring any paint. TDEC’s 2010 paint guidance said Tennessee landfills and transfer stations won’t take single cans of liquid paint.
Let the paint dry in the can, mixing in dirt or sand if it needs help getting solid, as the city says. When it’s solid, put the lid back on and place the can in your city cart by 6 a.m. on pickup day.
Don’t dry it for the trash: TDEC says oil-based paint can’t go in the trash. Call 423-753-1652 and ask whether a convenience center will take it, since the county recycling list includes paint of all types. Bring it in its labeled can only if they say yes.
Hold them for Washington County’s spring collection day. TDEC listed the 2026 event at Daniel Boone High School in Gray on April 18, 2026, which has passed; watch TDEC’s schedule for the next one. It’s free and open to any Tennessee household.
The county centers refuse business waste, including rental property, and TDEC’s events turn away painting contractors. A very small business can ask Clean Harbors (615-643-3170) for a paid appointment at a TDEC event; otherwise hire a permitted hazardous waste transporter.
Dry leftover latex paint in the can, mixing in dirt or sand if needed, then put the lid back on and set it in your Johnson City garbage cart. For oil-based paint, call Washington County Solid Waste at 423-753-1652 before you go: the county’s recycling list says its centers take "Paint: All Types", but its rules ban liquid and hazardous waste. Never put liquid paint in the cart.
This guide covers Johnson City, Tennessee, and the rest of Washington County. We found no year-round hazardous waste drop-off here, and the county’s spring collection day doesn’t take paint. The City of Johnson City tells residents to dry paint in the can with dirt or sand and put it in the garbage cart. Washington County’s convenience centers list paint on their recycling list, but other county rules conflict, so call first. Tennessee has no PaintCare program.
Johnson City’s Household Hazardous Waste page says to let unused paint dry in the can, adding dirt or sand if needed, then put the lid back on and place the can in your garbage cart. The city’s FAQ says to mix dirt or sand into the paint to make it a solid, then put the lid on and place the can in your cart. Neither page splits latex from oil-based. TDEC says oil-based paint is household hazardous waste that can’t go in the trash, and should be used up, given away or taken to a county paint collection site if one exists. Use the city’s method for latex.
Washington County’s Recycling page lists "Paint: All Types" among items taken at most of its five convenience centers and says to call ahead. The same page says no hazardous materials, and the center rules say no liquid waste and that attendants can refuse any load. Call the Solid Waste director’s line, 423-753-1652, before you load up oil-based paint.
The city says Washington County hosts a collection day each spring. TDEC’s 2026 schedule listed it at Daniel Boone High School, 1440 Suncrest Drive in Gray, on April 18, 2026, from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.; that date has passed. TDEC’s notice for the April 12, 2025 event listed paint as not accepted, while paint thinner was on the accepted list. TDEC also listed 2026 events in Carter County (March 28, Elizabethton) and Sullivan County (Sept. 26, Blountville); both are past, and TDEC says any Tennessean can attend any event.
The city’s cart rules say not to put any type of liquid in the maroon 95-gallon cart. Set it out by 6 a.m., at least 3 feet from other objects, with the lid fully closed; extra waste on top or beside the cart isn’t collected. Washington County homes on city service use a green cart under the same rules. Questions go to Solid Waste at 423-975-2792.
TDEC lists permanent hazardous waste sites only for residents of Knox, Hamilton, Davidson, Putnam and Shelby counties, and PaintCare’s non-program listing for Knoxville’s facility says Knoxville and Knox County households only. TDEC also lists seven temporary containers open to all Tennessee residents year-round, in Giles, Chester, Grainger, McMinn, Blount, Loudon and Sevier counties. TDEC’s page doesn’t say whether those containers take paint, so call the one you plan to use.
Tennessee has no PaintCare program, so there are no PaintCare store drop-offs. TDEC suggests using up latex or giving it away before drying it. Holston Habitat for Humanity runs ReStores in Johnson City and Kingsport that take building materials; its page doesn’t mention paint and asks donors to call ahead to confirm guidelines (free pickup line: 423-335-5573). For a business or contractor, TDEC’s program page says no businesses or painting contractors, but its very-small-business option lets qualifying businesses use mobile events for a fee by appointment with Clean Harbors (615-643-3170). Other businesses should hire a permitted hazardous waste transporter, as TDEC advises.
Check the label. TDEC lists words such as "water clean up", "acrylic" and "clean with soap and water" for latex, and words such as "alkyd", "oil stain", "varnish", "shellac", "lacquer" and "mineral spirits" for oil-based paint. For latex, leave the lid off and let it dry, adding dirt or sand if needed, then close the can and put it in the cart; the city asks that other garbage be bagged. Keep oil-based paint and stain closed in the original labeled can. Carry cans in a sturdy box lined with newspaper, and cover any load going to a county center.
Full preparation checklist →Only once it’s dry. The city says to let paint dry in the can or mix in dirt or sand to make it solid, then put the lid on and place the can in your cart. The cart rules say no liquids of any kind.
No year-round hazardous waste site is listed for Washington County. The county’s recycling list says most convenience centers take paint of all types, but its rules ban liquid and hazardous waste, so call 423-753-1652 first.
No. TDEC says paint is no longer accepted at its mobile collections. The 2026 Washington County event was April 18, 2026, in Gray, and has passed.
Yes. Washington County says its five centers serve all county residents, including Johnson City and Jonesborough residents. They take residential waste only, up to 20 bags a day, and no rental-property or business waste.
The city’s bulk pickup is for furniture and similar items, for city residents only. It doesn’t pick up building materials or carpet, and no source lists paint as a bulk item, so dry it and use the cart instead.
October 17, 2026: read Johnson City’s Household Hazardous Waste & Misc. Disposal page, Solid Waste FAQ, garbage collection, solid waste and recycling pages; Washington County’s Solid Waste, Convenience Centers, General Rules, FAQ and Recycling pages; TDEC’s HHW program page, 2026 schedule, April 2025 Washington County notice, BOPAE page and 2010 paint guidance; Holston Habitat’s ReStore page; and PaintCare’s locator data (no Washington County, TN record; Knoxville record 14383 is a non-program listing for Knox County households). The city’s old disposal_of_miscellaneous.php page returns a 404. Unresolved: whether county centers actually take liquid oil-based or latex paint (the recycling list and rules disagree); whether Iris Glen takes paint, and its fees; whether TDEC’s temporary containers take paint; whether Holston’s ReStore takes paint. No phone calls were made.
Checked October 17, 2026 against these sources, not by phone. How we research.
