Drop it off free
4 free paint drop-off sites within 12 miles.
- Friday Harbor Ace HardwarePaint store0.1 mi
- San Juan Transfer StationPaint store1.6 mi
- Lopez Solid Waste FacilityPaint store5.1 mi
Friday Harbor, WA Paint Disposal
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All drop-off locations in and near Friday Harbor7
Start with these
San Juan Transfer Station, Friday Harbor (PaintCare drop-off)
212 Sutton Rd, Friday Harbor, WA 98250
- Accepts
- Latex and oil-based house paint, primer, stain and varnish. PaintCare says this site also takes empty paint containers.
- Who can use it
- Households and very small businesses in San Juan County, per PaintCare.
- Hours
- Monday 9 a.m. to noon; closed Tuesday to Thursday; Friday to Sunday 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Open on some holidays (such as Presidents Day and Columbus Day); closed on others, including Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year's Day.
- Load limits
- 5 gallons per trip. The station says the limit gives every customer a chance to drop off paint.
- Fees
- Free for PaintCare products. Garbage is $13.50 per 32-gallon can.
No spray cans, leaking or unlabeled containers. The county asks you to bring paint here on regular days, not to the hazardous waste roundups. The station is run by the Lautenbach Recycling family of companies.
Friday Harbor Ace Hardware (PaintCare drop-off)
340 Argyle Ave, Friday Harbor, WA 98250
- Accepts
- Latex and oil-based house paint, primer, stain and varnish, in containers up to 5 gallons.
- Who can use it
- Households and businesses in Washington, per PaintCare. Business oil-based paint only from very small businesses.
- Hours
- Paint is taken during store hours. PaintCare says to call ahead for hours and room.
- Load limits
- PaintCare lists 5 gallons per visit.
- Fees
- Free for PaintCare products.
No spray cans, empty, leaking or unlabeled cans. The transfer station is closed Tuesday to Thursday, so Ace may be your midweek option; PaintCare doesn't list its hours, so call first. It took 759 gallons in 2025 (PaintCare's 2025 Washington report).
San Juan County hazardous waste roundup, San Juan Island (yearly, at the transfer station)
212 Sutton Rd, Friday Harbor, WA 98250
- Accepts
- Pesticides and other poisons, used fuels, wood preservatives, solvents and thinners, pool and photo chemicals, resins, corrosives, degreasers, cleaners, mercury, rechargeable batteries, small camping propane bottles, fluorescent tubes and bulbs, and aerosols (spray cans).
- Who can use it
- San Juan County households. Businesses only if they register ahead with the county's solid waste coordinator.
- Hours
- Once a year. The 2026 household roundup was Saturday, May 16, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., and the business day was Friday, May 15. Both have passed. The county had not posted a 2027 date as of October 16, 2026. Orcas Island also held a county-funded roundup on October 3, 2026, open to San Juan County residents; it has passed too.
- Load limits
- Households: up to 25 gallons free, in containers of 5 gallons or less.
- Fees
- Free for households up to 25 gallons. Businesses pay a fee set after they register (the 2026 deadline was April 24).
Bring PaintCare paint to the transfer station on a regular day instead. Not taken: flares, explosives or ammunition (call the Sheriff's Office, 360-378-4151), antifreeze, clean motor oil, car batteries and BBQ-size propane tanks (those go to the transfer station during open hours). Waste is barged to the mainland.
4 PaintCare drop-off sites within 12 miles of Friday Harbor.
5 paint stores and 0 hazardous waste sites, closest first. Paint stores take house paint, stain and varnish, usually up to a set amount per visit. Hazardous waste sites also take chemicals like thinner, but some only serve local residents. Call before you go.
Rules most stores here share
Who: Households and Businesses in Washington
Hours: Paint is accepted during regular business hours. Call ahead for hours and to make sure the store can accept the amount and type of paint you would like to recycle.
Products: This site accepts latex and oil-based house paint, stains and varnish in containers up to 5 gallons in size. This site does not accept aerosols (spray paint or other spray products), containers without original labels, or containers that are leaking. This site will accept empty containers.
Each listing below shows only what’s different, plus its limit.
Friday Harbor Ace Hardware
0.1 mi340 Argyle Ave, Friday Harbor, WA 98250
- Limits
- Limit: 5 Gallons per visit.
- Products
- This site accepts latex and oil-based house paint, stains and varnish in containers up to 5 gallons in size. This site does not accept aerosols (spray paint or other spray products), containers without original labels, or containers that are leaking or empty.
San Juan Transfer Station
1.6 mi212 Sutton Rd, Friday Harbor, WA 98250
- Who
- Households and VSQG Businesses in San Juan County
- Hours
- Monday 9 am -12 pm, Tuesday-Thursday Closed, Friday-Sunday 9 am - 4 pm
- Limits
- Limit: 5 gallons per visit.
Lopez Solid Waste Facility
5.1 mi2419 Fisherman Bay Rd, Lopez Island, WA 98261
- Who
- Households Only (No Businesses) in Lopez Island San Juan County
- Hours
- Friday - Monday 11 am - 3 pm, Summer hours (starts 5/30): Friday - Monday 10 am - 3 pm
- Limits
- Limit: 10 gallons per visit.
Orcas Transfer Station
9.5 mi3398 Orcas Rd, Eastsound, WA 98245
- Who
- Households and VSQG Businesses in San Juan County
- Hours
- Thursday - Monday 10 am - 4 pm
- Limits
- Limit: 15 gallons per visit.
Ace Hardware of Anacortes
18.8 mi1720 Q Ave, Anacortes, WA 98221
- Limits
- Limit: 5 Gallons per visit.
- Products
- This site accepts latex and oil-based house paint, stains and varnish in containers up to 5 gallons in size. This site does not accept aerosols (spray paint or other spray products), containers without original labels, or containers that are leaking or empty.
From PaintCare’s drop-off map ↗, updated October 6, 2026. Hours and limits are PaintCare’s. Distances are straight-line, not driving.
Which option fits your Friday Harbor cleanout?5
You have two cans of leftover trim paint
Drop them at Friday Harbor Ace on Argyle Avenue, or at the transfer station on a Friday through Monday. It's free.
You're closing up a vacation house with 20 gallons
That's four trips at 5 gallons each between the transfer station and Ace. Or, if you're going to Orcas anyway, its station takes 15 gallons a visit from county households.
You found thinner, spray cans and boat chemicals
Store them safely until the next San Juan Island roundup, which is free up to 25 gallons. The 2026 one was May 16. Clean motor oil and antifreeze can go to the transfer station during open hours.
You run a small business on the island
Very small businesses can use the transfer station for PaintCare paint. For other hazardous waste, register with the county before its business day; the 2026 deadline was April 24.
A can of latex is nearly empty
The town says to dry out latex paint and put it in the garbage. A fuller can is better recycled for free at the transfer station.
Friday Harbor rules and tips5
THE LOCAL ANSWER
Take up to 5 gallons of house paint per trip to the San Juan Transfer Station, 212 Sutton Rd (Friday to Sunday 9 to 4, Monday 9 to noon), or to Friday Harbor Ace, 340 Argyle Ave. Don't save paint for the roundup; the county wants it at the transfer station. The 2026 island roundup was May 16 and has passed.
In Friday Harbor, on San Juan Island (San Juan County, Washington), house paint goes to the San Juan Transfer Station on Sutton Road or to Friday Harbor Ace on Argyle Avenue. Both are free PaintCare drop-offs but take only 5 gallons a trip. Everything that isn't house paint, like thinner and spray cans, waits for the county's yearly hazardous waste roundup, because chemicals have to be barged off the island.
Paint has two homes on the island, 5 gallons each
The transfer station and Friday Harbor Ace both cap paint at 5 gallons a trip. The station says the limit gives every customer a chance to drop off paint. If you have more, plan several trips or ask PaintCare about a pickup.
Mind the transfer station's short week
Sutton Road is closed Tuesday through Thursday and open only until noon on Mondays. Try Ace midweek, but call first; its hours aren't published by PaintCare. The station is open on some holidays, like Presidents Day, but closed on Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year's Day.
Paint isn't for the roundup
San Juan County asks islanders to bring PaintCare paint to the transfer station on regular days, so the yearly roundup has room for items you can't drop off any other time. The roundup takes thinner, spray cans, pesticides and fuels, free up to 25 gallons.
The town says to dry out latex
The Town of Friday Harbor's transfer station page lists oil-based paint and stain as hazardous and says to dry out latex paint before putting it in the garbage. Recycling it through PaintCare is free, so dry only the dregs.
Going to the mainland? Mind the residency rules
Orcas's transfer station takes 15 gallons a visit from any San Juan County household. Lopez takes paint from Lopez Island households only. On the mainland, PaintCare lists Skagit County's transfer station in Mount Vernon for Skagit County households and very small businesses only. Stores take paint from anyone in Washington: Ace Hardware of Anacortes, near the ferry, takes 5 gallons a visit, and Rodda Paint in Burlington takes 20.
Free pickup programs and other options
With 100 gallons or more, PaintCare offers a free pickup; ask at View program details ↗ . Good paint can go to a neighbor or community group. For chemicals and spray cans, wait for the next roundup or ask the county's solid waste coordinator at 360-762-5821. Ammunition and flares go to the Sheriff's Office (360-378-4151).
Getting your paint ready
Keep paint in its original labeled can, lid on, 5 gallons or smaller, and bring no more than 5 gallons per trip. The transfer station takes empty paint cans too. Keep chemicals sealed and stored safely until the next roundup; don't put them in the trash, since garbage goes off-island by ferry.
Full preparation checklist →Friday Harbor questions5
Where can I recycle paint in Friday Harbor?
At the San Juan Transfer Station, 212 Sutton Rd, or Friday Harbor Ace Hardware, 340 Argyle Ave. Both are free and take up to 5 gallons per trip.
When is the next hazardous waste roundup on San Juan Island?
The 2026 roundup was Saturday, May 16, and has passed. The county hadn't posted a 2027 date as of October 16, 2026. Watch the county's hazardous waste page or call 360-762-5821.
Can I bring paint to the roundup?
The county asks you not to. Take PaintCare paint to the transfer station on any other day, so the roundup has room for other chemicals.
What are the transfer station's hours?
Monday 9 a.m. to noon, closed Tuesday to Thursday, and Friday to Sunday 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Phone 360-378-8449.
Can I take paint to the Orcas or Lopez transfer stations?
Orcas takes up to 15 gallons from San Juan County households and very small businesses, Thursday to Monday. Lopez takes paint only from Lopez Island households.
Sources and how we checked13
October 16, 2026: read the San Juan Transfer Station site, the Town of Friday Harbor's transfer station page, San Juan County's hazardous waste page, FAQ, operators list and its March 25, 2026 roundup release, the Orcas Island Exchange's hazardous waste page, PaintCare's 2025 Washington report (the transfer station took 895 gallons year-round plus 413 at the 2025 roundup; Ace 759) and PaintCare locator data. The county page also lists an October 3, 2026 Orcas event. The March release called it a business-and-fuel event, but the county's September 23, 2026 release says it was for island residents, free up to 25 gallons; it has passed. Unresolved: the 2027 roundup date; Ace's store hours; whether the county still accepts any paint at the San Juan Island roundup (PaintCare counted roundup paint in 2025, but the county now asks for it at the station). No phone calls made.
Checked October 16, 2026 against these sources, not by phone. How we research.
San Juan Transfer Station (Lautenbach Recycling): hours and PaintCare limit ↗Town of Friday Harbor: Transfer Station (hours, hazardous waste list) ↗San Juan County: Hazardous Waste Disposal (roundup FAQ) ↗San Juan County news release: 2026 hazardous waste roundup events (March 25, 2026) ↗San Juan County news release: October 3, 2026 Orcas hazardous waste roundup (Sept. 23, 2026) ↗San Juan County: Solid and hazardous waste FAQ ↗San Juan County: Waste Management Operators ↗Orcas Island Exchange: Hazardous waste (paint not taken at roundups) ↗PaintCare drop-off site locator ↗PaintCare Washington ↗PaintCare Washington 2025 annual report (PDF) ↗PaintCare business limits (very small businesses and oil-based paint) ↗PaintCare free large-volume pickup (100+ gallons) ↗
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