Drop it off
Where Brownsville residents can take paint:
- City of Brownsville Municipal Landfill (household trash; no wet paint or hazardous waste)9000 Ruben Torres Sr. Blvd, Brownsville, TX
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All drop-off locations in and near Brownsville1
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City of Brownsville Municipal Landfill (household trash; no wet paint or hazardous waste)
9000 Ruben Torres Sr. Blvd, Brownsville, TX
- Accepts
- Normal household waste, old furniture and bedding, stoves, washers and dryers, yard waste, and refrigerators and A/C units with written proof the refrigerant was removed. Construction and remodeling waste is taken at regular fees. Paint isn’t on the accepted list. The city lists wet paint, liquids, closed drums and any hazardous waste as prohibited. Used oil goes in the used oil recycling containers at the landfill.
- Who can use it
- Brownsville households and the surrounding area. The city says its landfill also serves Los Fresnos, Harlingen and other areas; loads from outside city limits pay the higher rates.
- Hours
- Monday–Saturday, 7 a.m.–3:45 p.m., per the city’s landfill page. In December 2024, after rains, the city closed the landfill to small vehicles and trailers until further notice; only pickup trucks and commercial traffic got in. Check city notices after a storm.
- Load limits
- No liquid paint of any kind, latex or oil-based. No car or truck batteries (the city says take them to automotive centers). The city lists municipal hazardous waste from a very small business, up to 220 pounds a month, as a special waste it may take, but only after you show the paperwork TCEQ requires. Waste profile forms are at the Landfill Scale House.
- Fees
- Free for accepted waste if you’re a “BFI” customer paying for trash service through P.U.B.; show your P.U.B. statement. Four tires are also free with a verified account. Otherwise, inside city limits: $9.73 for 1–300 pounds, $16.22 for 301–1,000 pounds, $22.71 for 1,001–1,999 pounds and $32.45 per ton. Outside city limits: $17.31, $27.04, $35.69 and $45.43 per ton.
This is not a paint drop-off. The street address comes only from TCEQ’s Central Registry record (no ZIP code is given there for it); the same record lists a legacy address of 9000 FM 802, Brownsville, TX 78521. The city’s landfill page gives no street address or direct phone, and parts of it are old (it quotes fiscal 2009–10 tonnage). The phone above is the city’s 546-HELP line.
City of Brownsville: Landfill (hours, fees, BFI customers through P.U.B.) ↗City of Brownsville: Prohibited / Special Waste (landfill) ↗City of Brownsville: Accepted Waste (landfill) ↗City of Brownsville (Dec. 16, 2024): Landfill temporarily closed to small traffic and trailers ↗City of Brownsville (Jan. 18, 2026): Landfill serves Los Fresnos, Harlingen and other areas ↗TCEQ Records Online: City of Brownsville Municipal Landfill, Central Registry address (RN102975026) ↗
Which option fits your Brownsville cleanout?4
Half a gallon of latex left from a bedroom
That’s more than TCEQ’s drying tip covers; it’s written for cans less than a quarter full, which dry in a few days with the lid off. TCEQ says well-stored leftover paint can last for years, so keep it for touch-ups: plastic wrap over the opening, lid on securely, can upside down. Once you’re under a quarter full, dry the rest and put the solid can in the trash.
Full cans of good latex after a remodel
TCEQ’s drying advice is for cans under a quarter full, and the landfill won’t take liquid paint. Offer usable cans to friends, relatives or neighbors, as TCEQ suggests, and store the rest upside down so they stay fresh. Don’t leave them out for bulky pickup.
Oil-based stain and paint thinner in the garage
The city, county and TCEQ sources we checked list no Brownsville or Cameron County drop-off, and the landfill bans liquids and hazardous waste. Keep them sealed in their original cans in a cool, dry place. Call 956-546-4357 to ask whether the city has any collection planned. Never pour them into a storm drain.
Hauling a garage cleanout to the landfill
Go Monday–Saturday, 7 a.m.–3:45 p.m., and bring your P.U.B. statement if you’re a BFI customer. Leave liquid paint out of the load; wet paint is on the landfill’s banned list. After rain, check for a closure notice; in December 2024 the city let only pickups and commercial traffic in.
Brownsville rules and tips5
THE LOCAL ANSWER
Dry out leftover latex paint at home; the Brownsville landfill bans wet paint and liquids. The city, Cameron County and TCEQ sources we checked list no public drop-off for oil-based paint, so keep it sealed and ask the city at 546-HELP (956-546-4357).
Brownsville, Texas (Cameron County) has no household hazardous waste drop-off or paint collection that we could find. The City of Brownsville Landfill turns away wet paint, liquids and hazardous waste. Bulky pickup, the red Redfish recycling cart and the city’s B.R.I.G.H.T. neighborhood cleanups all refuse paint too. Texas has no PaintCare program, so stores don’t take paint back. In practice, you dry latex at home. For oil-based paint, we found no public drop-off in the city, county or state sources we checked.
“Wet paint” is on the landfill’s banned list
The city’s landfill lists wet paint, liquids, closed drums and any hazardous waste as prohibited. Its household list (normal household waste, furniture, bedding, appliances, yard waste) doesn’t name paint at all. So never haul liquid paint out to the landfill, and dry cans out fully before they go with a trash load.
Bulky pickup and B.R.I.G.H.T. cleanups won’t take it
Brush and bulk pickup lists hazardous materials and liquids as items it won’t collect. The 2026 B.R.I.G.H.T. cleanups in Acacia Lake Gardens (District 1, June 26) and Ebony Heights (District 3, September 18) are over. Both said paint, oil, batteries and other hazardous materials would not be collected. Don’t set paint cans beside a bulky pile or toss them in a cleanup roll-off.
Not in the red recycling cart
Redfish curbside recycling started in January 2026 and picks up every other week. The city’s FAQ lists hazardous waste among things the red cart can’t take. Leave paint cans out. Questions about your pickup go to Redfish at 956-299-8025.
No Cameron County program on the state list
TCEQ keeps a county-by-county list of Texas household hazardous waste programs. The Sept. 22, 2026 version has no entry for Cameron County. Cameron County Public Works held a Trash Bash May 18–23, 2026, for household and bulky waste; it refused tires, oil, batteries and construction materials, and its notice didn’t mention paint. Ask the county before you count on the next one for paint.
Businesses: paperwork before paint
The landfill lists municipal hazardous waste from a very small business (a “conditionally exempt small quantity generator”), up to 220 pounds a month, as a special waste it may take. First you have to show that TCEQ’s requirements are met, using a waste profile form from the Landfill Scale House. Without that paperwork, the landfill’s ban on any hazardous waste, liquids and wet paint applies.
Free pickup programs and other options
PaintCare’s locator data has no listing in Cameron County, and Texas has no PaintCare program, so no store is part of a state take-back. TCEQ suggests passing usable paint to friends, relatives or neighbors, and keeping partly used cans fresh by covering the opening with plastic wrap, closing the lid securely and storing the can upside down. The city’s stormwater page says never to pour paint, solvents or other household chemicals on the ground or into storm drains. The landfill also takes trash from Los Fresnos, Harlingen and other nearby areas, but it’s not a paint drop-off for anyone.
Getting your paint ready
For latex, take the lid off and set the can in a well-ventilated spot until it’s solid. For oil-based paint, keep it in the original can with the lid tight, in a cool, dry place, as TCEQ advises for household chemicals. If you’re hauling a trash load with dried cans to the landfill, bring your P.U.B. statement for free BFI-customer disposal of accepted waste.
Full preparation checklist →Brownsville questions5
Can I take paint to the Brownsville landfill?
Not as liquid. The city lists wet paint, liquids and any hazardous waste as prohibited at the landfill. Dry latex out at home first.
Can I throw dried latex paint away in Brownsville?
Brownsville’s landfill rules ban wet paint and liquids, but no city page we found says anything about dried paint in your household cart. TCEQ’s statewide guide says a can less than a quarter full can be left open to dry in a few days and then thrown in the trash.
Where do I take oil-based paint in Brownsville?
We found no public drop-off in the sources we checked. TCEQ’s Sept. 22, 2026 list has no Cameron County program, and every city service we checked refuses paint. Keep it sealed and call 956-546-4357 to ask the city whether anything is planned.
Will a Brownsville paint store take my old paint?
Not through a state program. Texas has no PaintCare program, and PaintCare’s locator lists no Cameron County site. Any store take-back would be the store’s own choice, so ask first.
Is the landfill free for Brownsville residents?
Accepted waste is free for BFI customers who pay for collection through P.U.B. and show their statement. Otherwise, loads from inside the city start at $9.73 for up to 300 pounds, and outside-city loads start at $17.31.
Sources and how we checked15
October 17, 2026: read the City of Brownsville’s Landfill, Accepted Waste, Prohibited/Special Waste, Brush and Bulk and stormwater pages, five city news releases (two 2026 B.R.I.G.H.T. cleanups, the Redfish recycling FAQ, a December 2024 wet-weather closure and a January 2026 landfill release), TCEQ’s Central Registry record for the landfill, Cameron County’s 2026 Trash Bash notice, TCEQ’s household hazardous waste guide and its Sept. 22, 2026 program list, and PaintCare’s locator data (no Cameron County listing). The city site blocks scripts, so we read its pages in a browser. Unresolved: no city page gives the landfill’s street address or direct phone (the address is TCEQ’s Central Registry entry, which gives no ZIP code), the landfill page still quotes fiscal 2009–10 figures, no source says whether dried latex is welcome in the household cart, and we found no Brownsville or Cameron County option for oil-based paint. We made no phone calls.
Checked October 17, 2026 against these sources, not by phone. How we research.
City of Brownsville: Landfill (hours, fees, BFI customers through P.U.B.) ↗City of Brownsville: Prohibited / Special Waste (landfill) ↗City of Brownsville: Accepted Waste (landfill) ↗City of Brownsville: Brush and Bulk Pick-Up ↗City of Brownsville: What residents can do to help (stormwater and household hazardous waste) ↗City of Brownsville (Aug. 26, 2026): B.R.I.G.H.T. cleanup returns to Ebony Heights on September 18 ↗City of Brownsville (June 10, 2026): B.R.I.G.H.T. cleanup heads to Acacia Lake Gardens June 26 ↗City of Brownsville (Dec. 29, 2025): Residential curbside recycling (Redfish) FAQ ↗City of Brownsville (Dec. 16, 2024): Landfill temporarily closed to small traffic and trailers ↗City of Brownsville (Jan. 18, 2026): Landfill serves Los Fresnos, Harlingen and other areas ↗TCEQ Records Online: City of Brownsville Municipal Landfill, Central Registry address (RN102975026) ↗Cameron County Public Health: Cameron County 2026 Trash Bash (May 18–23) ↗TCEQ: Household Hazardous Waste, a Guide for Texans (paint storage and drying) ↗TCEQ: Contacts for Texas Household Hazardous Waste Programs, listed by county (PDF, Sept. 22, 2026) ↗PaintCare drop-off site locator ↗
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