Everything you need to get rid of leftover paint responsibly in Charlottesville.
4576 Dick Woods Rd, Charlottesville, VA 22903
Check in at the scale house; staff send you to the tipping floor. On household hazardous waste days, paint-only cars go through the hazardous waste lanes. The McIntire Recycling Center in town does not list paint.
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.
4576 Dick Woods Rd (Rt 637), Charlottesville, VA 22903
3455 Hadensville-Fife Rd, Goochland, VA 23063
807 Moorefield Rd, Mineral, VA 23117
807 Moorefield Rd, Mineral, VA 23117
813 Greendale Rd, Harrisonburg, VA 22801
From PaintCare’s drop-off map ↗, updated October 6, 2026. Hours and limits are PaintCare’s. Distances are straight-line, not driving.
Drive the cans to Ivy any day except Sunday. Check in at the scale house; there’s no charge for paint.
Ivy won’t take these on normal days. Store them safely until the spring 2027 household hazardous waste day, which Rivanna hadn’t posted yet.
Ivy only takes paint in original cans. If you poured it into another container, ask Rivanna before driving out.
Register with MXI Environmental at least 30 days before Rivanna’s next commercial collection day and expect a fee. The last one was September 17, 2026.
Take latex or oil-based paint in its original can to the Ivy Solid Waste & Recycling Center, 4576 Dick Woods Road, Monday–Saturday 7:30 a.m.–4 p.m.; it’s free. Spray paint and thinners wait for Rivanna’s next household hazardous waste day. The fall 2026 days were September 18–19 and have passed.
Charlottesville sends paint to the Rivanna Solid Waste Authority’s Ivy center on Dick Woods Road, west of town in Albemarle County. Ivy takes latex and oil-based paint free every day but Sunday. Other paint products wait for the spring and fall hazardous waste days; the fall 2026 days have already passed.
Since 2016, Ivy has taken latex and oil-based paint daily, Monday–Saturday 7:30 a.m.–4 p.m., for free. Check in at the scale house and staff send you to the tipping floor. Cans must be the original quart, gallon or 5-gallon cans.
On normal days Ivy won’t take spray paint, thinners, removers, sealants, wood preservatives, glue or caulk. Those go to the free household hazardous waste days. The fall 2026 days were September 18–19 and are past; spring 2026’s were April 17–18. No spring 2027 date was posted on October 7, 2026.
Since February 2, 2026, Ivy doesn’t take cash. Paint drop-off is free, but bring a card if you’re also dumping trash.
The McIntire Recycling Center in town lists food scraps, oyster shells and cooking oil as special items. Paint goes to Ivy, at 4576 Dick Woods Road.
Virginia has no PaintCare program, so stores don’t take paint back. Rivanna’s daily paint drop-off at Ivy is the main free option for city and Albemarle County residents. Small businesses use Rivanna’s paid commercial collection day; the last one, September 17, 2026, has passed.
Keep paint in its original can with the lid on. Separate spray cans and thinners and store them until the next household hazardous waste day. Allow time to unload before Ivy closes at 4 p.m.
Full preparation checklist →No. The city points residents to the Rivanna Solid Waste Authority, which takes paint at the Ivy center.
Rivanna says its daily paint collection is free. Ivy no longer takes cash for its other fees.
No. Spray paint and other paint products wait for the spring or fall household hazardous waste days.
The fall 2026 days, September 18–19, have passed. Rivanna holds them every spring and fall; check its accepted items page for the 2027 date.
Small businesses in Albemarle and Charlottesville must register for Rivanna’s commercial collection day and pay a fee. Household paint days are for residents.
October 7, 2026: read Rivanna’s Ivy, accepted items, FAQ and events pages (including its events feed for 2026 dates), the City of Charlottesville hazardous waste page, Virginia DEQ’s guidance and PaintCare’s locator data. Spring (April 17–18) and fall (September 18–19) 2026 household hazardous waste days are both past; no 2027 date was posted. The city page says Rivanna’s commercial collection is free, but Rivanna says a fee applies; we followed Rivanna. Rivanna doesn’t post a gallon limit for daily paint. PaintCare’s listing shows 434-295-3306 for Ivy; we used Rivanna’s posted office number, 434-977-2970.
Checked October 7, 2026 against these sources, not by phone. How we research.
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