Everything you need to get rid of leftover paint responsibly in Knoxville.
1033 Elm St, Knoxville, TN 37921
Every visitor drives across the scale at the Elm Street transfer station (off I-275 at the Baxter exit, #1A). Usable products in original containers are set aside for reuse, and residents who sign a waiver can take them free.
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.
1033 Elm St, Knoxville, TN 37921
501 Poore Rd, New Tazewell, TN 37825
123 Post Oak Valley Rd, Rockwood, TN 37854
106 Blue Top Rd, Tazewell, TN 37879
From PaintCare’s drop-off map ↗, updated October 6, 2026. Hours and limits are PaintCare’s. Distances are straight-line, not driving.
Pour it thin into a wider container or mix in kitty litter, and set it outside on a sunny day. When you'd hold the can upside down, double-bag it for the trash or take it lid-off to a county convenience center.
Oil stain, varnish, paint stripper and thinner all go to Elm Street free. Keep each in its own labeled can. Fuels and similar liquids have a separate 10-gallon daily limit.
Ask at Elm Street about the reuse area. Usable products left in their original containers are set aside, and residents who sign a waiver can take them free.
The facility won't take it. The city says churches, nonprofits and businesses must contract privately for hazardous waste disposal.
Take oil-based paint, stain and spray cans to the free household hazardous waste facility at 1033 Elm St (up to 20 gallons of oil paint a day). Latex paint isn't accepted. Dry it completely, double-bag it, and put it in your trash, or drop the dry cans at a Knox County convenience center.
Knoxville's household hazardous waste facility at 1033 Elm Street takes oil-based paint free, six days a week. It stopped taking latex in March 2018. City and Knox County both say to dry latex completely and throw it away.
The hazardous waste drop-off is at the Elm Street Solid Waste Facility, off I-275 at the Baxter exit (#1A). Every visitor drives across the scale, even though accepted hazardous waste is free.
Hours are Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday 7 a.m. to 3:45 p.m., but only until 11:45 a.m. on Wednesday and Saturday. It's closed Sunday.
You can bring up to 20 gallons of oil-based paint a day, counted by container size, and 100 pounds of hazardous waste in total. Nothing in a container over 5 gallons.
Knox County says latex is dry enough to toss when you'd feel comfortable holding the can upside down. A crust on top isn't enough. Spread it thin, set it in the sun, or mix in kitty litter, wood chips or sawdust.
Usable products still in their original containers are set aside for reuse. Residents who sign a waiver can pick them up free.
Dried latex cans can go to any Knox County convenience center (lids off so the attendant can check), into the bulky brown compactor. Partly full spray paint cans count as hazardous waste and go to Elm Street; empty ones can go in the trash. TDEC's mobile collection days, such as Union County's September 12 and Anderson County's September 19, 2026 events (both past), no longer take paint. Tennessee has no PaintCare program.
Check each label: latex gets dried at home, oil-based and spray cans go to Elm Street. Keep oil paint in its original can and leave room in your plan for the 20-gallon daily cap. Double-bag dried latex cans and absorbent before trash day.
Full preparation checklist →No, not since March 2018. Dry it and put it in your household trash.
No fee for accepted household hazardous waste, though everyone drives across the scale.
Knox County sends residents to the city's facility at 1033 Elm St. County convenience centers don't take oil-based paint. Check the city's 2026 facility calendar first: some days are for city residents only.
No. The city says businesses, nonprofits, churches and other non-residential groups must hire a private company.
Knox County's test: if you'd hold the can upside down without worrying, it's ready for the trash.
October 7, 2026: read the City of Knoxville's household hazardous waste and Solid Waste Facility pages (opened in a browser), Knox County Solid Waste's paint and problem waste pages, the county's convenience center brochure, TDEC's household hazardous waste page and 2026 mobile schedule, and PaintCare's locator data. The city page lists no residency rule; PaintCare's listing says Knoxville and Knox County households, and the county sends its residents to Elm Street. The city's latex PDF matches Knox County's drying advice. The 2026 facility calendar marks holiday closures and city-residents-only days by color, which we could not read as text, so we don't list those dates. The city ran a mobile hazardous waste truck starting in 2019; we found no current 2026 mobile dates on the city page.
Checked October 7, 2026 against these sources, not by phone. How we research.
.jpg){kind=link}
.jpg){kind=link}