Everything you need to get rid of leftover paint responsibly in Corpus Christi.
7001 Ayers St., Corpus Christi, TX 78415
Bring a driver's license with a Corpus Christi address; the landfill and collection-centers page asks for one at the gate. The 2025 guide also says a valid U.S. government-issued ID is required. Put leaking cans inside a bigger container with cat litter, and carry everything in the trunk. Contractors and businesses need a city hauler permit ($50 a year).
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.
7111 Ayers (Hwy 286 - At Ayers), Corpus Christi, TX 78415
872 Airport Rd, Fulton, TX 78358
From PaintCare’s drop-off map ↗, updated October 6, 2026. Hours and limits are PaintCare’s. Distances are straight-line, not driving.
The city's sources disagree. The hazardous waste page says no container over 1 gallon; the 2025 and 2027 printed guides say up to 5 gallons. Call 361-826-1631 before you load the bucket.
The city lists only one hazardous waste drop-off: J.C. Elliott on Ayers Street. The Litter Critter events held in Flour Bluff and on the island take trash and brush, not hazardous waste. Plan a trip to J.C. Elliott.
The city's 2026 schedule lists Nov. 14, 2026 at Veterans Memorial High School and Dec. 12, 2026 at W.B. Ray High School. These events refuse hazardous waste, so leave paint and thinner at home and take them to J.C. Elliott.
The drop-off is for residents' own household waste. Commercial waste isn't accepted, and anyone hauling for others needs the city's hauler permit.
Take paint to the J.C. Elliott Transfer Station, 7001 Ayers St., Monday–Saturday 8–5; it's free for Corpus Christi residents with ID. The city's hazardous waste page allows up to five 1-gallon cans of paint. Don't put paint in your trash cart or take it to a Litter Critter event.
In Corpus Christi, Texas (Nueces County), leftover paint goes to the city's J.C. Elliott Transfer Station on Ayers Street, where household hazardous waste drop-off is free for city residents. The city's own pages disagree on how big your cans can be, so pack small.
The city's hazardous waste page caps paint at five 1-gallon containers and says no container can be over 1 gallon. The city's 2025 and 2027 printed guides allow containers up to 5 gallons. If you have a 5-gallon bucket, call the transfer station at 361-826-1631 before you drive over.
The city's landfill and collection-centers page asks for a driver's license with a Corpus Christi address. The 2025 guide asks for a valid U.S. government ID and says free use is for households that pay for city trash service. Bring your license and a city utility bill if you can.
The city's 2025 and 2027 guides list paint and hazardous materials among things that don't belong in your trash or recycling carts. Take it to J.C. Elliott instead.
The monthly Litter Critter cleanups take trash, brush, bulky items and tires. The city's notices list hazardous waste, solvents and automotive fluids as not accepted.
J.C. Elliott charges $15.50 per load if it isn't covered or tied down (2025 and 2027 guides). Put the cans in the trunk, not the cab.
Texas has no PaintCare program, so stores don't take paint back. TCEQ says a can less than a quarter full can be opened and left to dry in a ventilated spot, then trashed. Ask 311 first, since the city guide keeps paint out of carts. Give good paint to a neighbor, church or school.
Bring a driver's license with a Corpus Christi address. Use labeled cans, ideally 1 gallon or smaller and five at most for paint. Mark anything unlabeled "unknown." Set leaking cans in a bigger bin with cat litter. Cover the load.
Full preparation checklist →To the J.C. Elliott Transfer Station, 7001 Ayers St. (Highway 286 at Ayers). It's open Monday through Saturday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Yes, for Corpus Christi residents. You may pay a fee if your load isn't covered.
The city's hazardous waste page says up to five 1-gallon containers. The city's printed guides allow containers up to 5 gallons. If you have more or bigger cans, call 361-826-1631 first.
No. Those events refuse hazardous waste, solvents and automotive fluids. Use J.C. Elliott.
No. The hazardous waste page says no commercial waste. Businesses that haul waste need a city hauler permit.
Checked October 13, 2026: the city's household hazardous waste page, landfill and collection-centers page, the 2025 Solid Waste Services guide (PDF) and the newer 2027 customer guide (PDF, image only, read page by page), two 2026 Litter Critter notices (April 6 and July 2), TCEQ's guide and PaintCare's locator data. Conflicts: container size (1 gallon on the web page, 5 gallons in both printed guides), ID (a driver's license with a city address on the collection-centers page; a U.S. government ID in the 2025 guide; the 2027 guide's transfer-station page doesn't mention ID), the uncovered-load fee ($15 vs. $15.50), and the address (7001 Ayers St. in the guides vs. "Hwy 286 at Ayers" on the web pages; PaintCare lists 7111 Ayers). PaintCare's listing gives 361-826-1971, which the city lists as a fax number; this guide uses 361-826-1631 from the city's printed guides. The October 10, 2026 West Oso Litter Critter has passed. Not found: any program for Nueces County residents outside city limits, or city guidance on drying latex for the trash.
Checked October 13, 2026 against these sources, not by phone. How we research.
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