Everything you need to get rid of leftover paint responsibly in Racine.
6200 21st St, Racine, WI 53406
Enter at the far east entrance and follow the traffic flow to the exit. The program is not county-wide: Burlington, Union Grove, Waterford and other western Racine County towns are not on its list.
6300 21st St, Racine, WI 53406
The city says paint can no longer go in your regular garbage cart. Ask the Public Works field office (262-636-9126) whether a fee applies to dried paint cans before you go.
1 paint store and 4 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.
6200 21st St, Racine, WI 53406
6060 S 13th St, Milwaukee, WI 53221
6060 S 13th St, Milwaukee, WI 53221
3879 W Lincoln Ave, Milwaukee, WI 53215
3232 N Lewis Ave, Waukegan, IL 60087
From PaintCare’s drop-off map ↗, updated October 6, 2026. Hours and limits are PaintCare’s. Distances are straight-line, not driving.
The last 2026 Saturday collection was set for October 17, and 2027 dates aren't posted yet. Keep the cans sealed and stored until then. On collection day, load everything in your trunk, bring your license or tax statement, and use the far east entrance at 6200 21st St.
The city says the Saturday collection asks for proof of property ownership, using a driver's license or property tax statement. If you rent, call 262-636-9181 before you go. Thickened latex can still go to the transfer station.
Pour each can down to half full, stir in kitty litter until it's like oatmeal, and take the cans to the transfer station, Tuesday–Saturday. Bring a card; no cash.
The Racine collection is not for you. Your area's Clean Sweep is run through the City of Burlington; ask 262-342-1181 about the next date.
City of Racine residents can get rid of latex paint any week: thicken it with kitty litter and take it to the Racine Transfer Station, 6300 21st St., Tuesday–Saturday, 10 a.m.–5:45 p.m. (card only). Oil-based paint, stain and thinner go to the free Racine Wastewater Utility collection at 6200 21st St., open only to the city and six nearby villages. The last 2026 Saturday collection was set for October 17; 2027 dates are not posted yet.
In Racine, Wisconsin, the year-round answer for latex paint is the Racine Transfer Station at 6300 21st St. The City of Racine says to thicken latex with kitty litter and bring it there, because paint can no longer go in your garbage cart. Oil-based paint goes to the Racine Wastewater Utility's free Saturday collections at 6200 21st St. In 2026 they ran on 3rd Saturdays, April through October, and the last one was set for October 17. 2027 dates are not posted yet.
The collection is paid for by the City of Racine and the villages of Caledonia, Elmwood Park, Mount Pleasant, North Bay, Sturtevant and Wind Point, and only their residents may use it. The city asks for proof of property ownership: a driver's license or property tax statement. It's not a county-wide program.
The 2026 Saturday collections ran April 18 through September 19, and the last 2026 Saturday collection was set for October 17, 8 a.m.–1 p.m. The utility hasn't posted 2027 dates yet. Until then, keep oil-based paint sealed and stored, and check with 262-636-9181.
Racine's paint page says to pour cans down to half full or less, stir in kitty litter, oil dry, sand or sawdust until it's like oatmeal, and take it to the bulky waste drop off. That is the Racine Transfer Station at 6300 21st St., open Tuesday–Saturday, 10 a.m.–5:45 p.m. It takes cards only.
The city says today's latex paint has very low toxicity and that handling it at a hazardous waste collection is very expensive. So it asks people to use other options. For city residents, that option is thickening it and taking it to the transfer station.
Burlington (city and town), Union Grove, Waterford (village and town), Rochester and Dover hold a separate Clean Sweep at the Burlington wastewater plant, 2100 S. Pine St. The last one posted was August 16, 2025, and it did not take latex. No 2026 date was posted when we checked; call 262-342-1181.
Wisconsin has no PaintCare program, so stores don't take paint back for free. Village residents outside the city (Mount Pleasant, Caledonia and the others) should ask their village hall or hauler how they want dried latex handled. The Wisconsin DNR's general advice is to dry latex until solid and put it in the trash, but the City of Racine's own rule for city residents is the transfer station. Used motor oil and antifreeze go to the City Garage at 830 S. Marquette St., not the paint collection.
Put everything in the trunk or truck bed before you arrive, as the city requires. Use containers of 5 gallons or less, and stay in your car. Enter at the far east entrance at 6200 21st St. For latex, take the can down to half full or less before adding kitty litter so it hardens all the way through.
Full preparation checklist →The last 2026 Saturday collection was set for October 17, 8 a.m.–1 p.m., at 6200 21st St. 2027 dates are not posted yet. In 2026 the program ran on 3rd Saturdays, April through October. Call 262-636-9181 for news.
No. Latex and other water-based paint are on the not-accepted list. City residents should thicken it and take it to the transfer station.
Yes. Mount Pleasant is one of the six villages that fund the program, along with Caledonia, Elmwood Park, North Bay, Sturtevant and Wind Point.
The city says paint can no longer go in your regular trash pickup. Thicken latex and bring it to the bulky waste drop off at 6300 21st St.
The Saturday collection is free for residents of the member communities. The transfer station takes cards only; its fee list doesn't price paint, so call 262-636-9126.
October 16, 2026: Read the City of Racine One Day Collections page (who can use it, 2026 dates, entrance and in-car rules, accepted and refused lists), the 2026 HHW flyer (PDF, read with pdftotext: 5-gallon limit, ZIPs 53401–53408, no latex), the Old Paint Disposal page (paint no longer in regular collection; thicken latex and take to bulky waste drop off), the Bulky Waste Drop Off page (Racine Transfer Station, Tuesday–Saturday 10–5:45, card only; address 6300 21st St. from the page's map and the DPW page), the DPW page, the City of Burlington Clean Sweep page (2025 event, no latex), DATCP's Clean Sweep list and the DNR page. PaintCare's listing matches the 2026 dates. Not resolved: whether the transfer station charges for thickened paint cans; what the six villages tell their residents to do with dried latex; Burlington's 2026 or 2027 Clean Sweep date; whether renters without a tax bill are asked for more proof. Peer review (October 16): reopened every source. The One Day Collections page says residents must show proof of property ownership; the guide now says so, and renters are told to call. The "next door" and "west of I-94" wording and the Milwaukee comparison had no source in this guide and were replaced. The October 17 collection now reads as the last date set for 2026, so the guide stays true after it; refresh when 2027 dates post. Did not call anyone.
Checked October 16, 2026 against these sources, not by phone. How we research.
