Everything you need to get rid of leftover paint responsibly in Houston.
11500 S. Post Oak Rd., Houston, TX 77035
The city's proof-of-address rule (ID plus a matching utility bill or lease) is written for bulk and tree waste, but bring both papers anyway. Not for people outside Houston city limits.
5614 Neches St., Houston, TX 77026
Open one day a month. If you miss it, use the South center on S. Post Oak.
5900 Westpark, Houston, TX 77057
Oil-based paint is on the city's not-accepted list here. Take it to an Environmental Service Center instead.
6900 Hahl Rd., Houston, TX 77040
A Houston mailing address does not make you a City of Houston resident. Enter at Hahl Road, near 290 and Gessner. Call 346-286-4294 for weather closures.
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.
5614 Neches, Houston, TX 77026
5900 Westpark, Houston, TX 77057
11500 S Post Oak Rd, Houston, TX 77035
6900 Hahl Rd (corner of N Gessner and 290), Houston, TX 77040
5800 Magnolia Pkwy, Pearland, TX 77584
From PaintCare’s drop-off map ↗, updated October 6, 2026. Hours and limits are PaintCare’s. Distances are straight-line, not driving.
Westpark takes latex, not oil-based. The city doesn't post a latex limit; PaintCare's listing says 10 gallons a month. Over that, use the S. Post Oak center, which takes 25 gallons.
Harris County serves county residents outside Houston city limits, by appointment only. It takes up to 30 gallons in 1- and 5-gallon cans, but not dried latex or empty cans.
Only the Environmental Service Centers take all of it. Thinner and stain share their own 25-gallon cap. Aerosols count toward 100 pounds of chemicals. Westpark won't take any of these.
The Reuse Warehouse on N. Main won't take paint. The state suggests giving good paint to friends, family or neighbors.
If you live in the City of Houston, take paint to the Environmental Service Center at 11500 S. Post Oak Rd. (Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday or Saturday, 8–5), up to 25 gallons. For latex only, Westpark at 5900 Westpark is open Tuesday to Saturday. Outside city limits, book Harris County's Hahl Road facility.
Houston has no free paint-store take-back. If you live inside city limits, take paint to the Environmental Service Center on S. Post Oak Road, or take latex only to the Westpark recycling center. If you live outside city limits, you probably use Harris County's site instead.
Many unincorporated areas have Houston mailing addresses. If you don't get City of Houston water and trash service, the city centers aren't for you. Book Harris County's facility on Hahl Road instead.
Westpark, at 5900 Westpark off US-59 between Chimney Rock and Fountain View, takes latex paint Tuesday to Saturday. It does not take oil-based paint or household chemicals. You can go up to four times a month.
The Neches Street center on the north side opens only on the second Thursday, 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Most people should plan on the South center, open four days a week.
The city asks for a Texas ID and a current Houston utility bill or lease. The addresses must match. A new move-in may need the lease.
The city's Reuse Warehouse at 9003 N. Main gives away building materials, but its rules say no paint or solvents. Don't bring cans there.
Texas has no PaintCare program, so stores that sell paint don't have to take it back. Give usable paint to a neighbor, school or church group. For small amounts of latex, the state says a can less than a quarter full can be dried with the lid off and then trashed.
Keep paint in its original, closed cans. Box like items together; Houston won't take bagged materials. Put the boxes in your trunk or SUV so staff can reach them.
Full preparation checklist →No. Westpark lists oil-based paint as not accepted. Use the South center on S. Post Oak, or the North center on its monthly day.
Up to 25 gallons of paint, plus up to 25 gallons of stain and thinner, per visit.
Only if you get City of Houston services. Most people in unincorporated Harris County use the county facility on Hahl Road, by appointment.
Harris County refuses business waste. Houston's centers are set up for residents, so a business should ask the city before going.
The Houston pages we read don't say. The state's guide says dried paint in a can can go in the trash. Harris County won't take dried latex at all.
Checked October 7, 2026: Houston's Environmental Service Center and recycling center pages, the Reuse Warehouse page, Harris County's facility and item pages, TCEQ's household hazardous waste guide and PaintCare's locator data (Texas has no PaintCare program; it lists these sites as non-program sites). Houston's own Westpark page now redirects; hours and the latex-only rule come from the recycling centers page. Not settled: Westpark's latex limit (only PaintCare's listing gives 10 gallons a month), phone lines for each center, whether the city ID rules apply word for word to chemical drop-off, whether Clear Lake and Kingwood centers take latex, and whether the city accepts dried latex in curbside trash.
Checked October 7, 2026 against these sources, not by phone. How we research.
