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Paint Disposal · Portland, OR

Latex Paint Disposal in Portland

Before you go

In most of the country, dried latex is ordinary trash and the hazardous waste program does not need to take it. Two things change that, and both are decided by your state: California prohibits drying it at home, and thirteen states run a PaintCare take-back that is free and easier than drying. The local rules on this page say which applies where you are.

  1. Confirm it's actually latex

    The label will say latex, acrylic, or water-based, and it'll tell you to clean up with soap and water. If it says alkyd, mineral spirits, or clean up with thinner, it's oil-based and none of this applies.

  2. Check your state before you dry anything

    California treats leftover latex paint as hazardous waste and does not allow you to dry it out at home; it has to go to a collection site. Where PaintCare operates, drop-off is free and drying is pointless. Everywhere else, drying and binning it is the normal route. This page's local rules and the facilities listed above tell you which of the three you are in, and your municipal program page is the final authority.

  3. Dry it solid before it goes anywhere

    Where drying is allowed: stir in cat litter, sawdust, or a commercial paint hardener at roughly equal parts for a half-full can. A can with less than an inch left will dry on its own with the lid off in a few days.

  4. Dry it somewhere ventilated and out of reach

    Open air, away from children and pets. A garage floor or a back step is right; a closed cupboard is not.

  5. Leave the lid off when you set it out

    The hauler needs to see that it's solid. A sealed can gets left at the curb, and in most places a liquid can is refused outright.

  6. Never pour it down a drain or onto the ground

    Latex is water-based but it is not water. It fouls septic systems, coats sewer lines, and in a storm drain it goes straight to a creek untreated.

  7. Consider giving away what's usable

    A mostly full can of a current colour is worth more to a neighbour, a theatre group, or a habitat resale store than it is dried out in a landfill.

Compare options

Latex Paint Disposal in Portland

3 free · 2 fee-based

Facility Cost Open now Notes
Metro HHW Facilities (Paint Disposal at Central & South)(503) 234-3000 Free
for households		 HHW: Daily 9 AM - 4 PM HHW only Walk-in Both Metro HHW facilities accept paint alongside other HHW.
Miller Paint (Portland) - PaintCare Drop-Off Free
PaintCare program		 Hours not published Walk-in Miller Paint is a Pacific NW paint brand founded in Portland.
Sherwin-Williams (Portland) - PaintCare Drop-Off Free
PaintCare program funded by paint manufacturers		 Store hours (typically 7 AM - 7 PM Mon-Fri, 8 AM - 5 PM Sat) Walk-in Oregon was the FIRST PaintCare state (2009). 190+ drop-off sites statewide.
Paid or fee-based options
Metro Central Transfer Station & Household Hazardous Waste Facility(503) 234-3000 Depends on the item
Garbage/yard debris: $35-47 minimum		 HHW: Daily 9 AM - 4 PM | Transfer Station: Daily 8 AM - 5 PM Walk-in Metro's primary HHW drop-off location for Portland.
Metro South Transfer Station & Household Hazardous Waste Facility(503) 234-3000 Depends on the item
Garbage/yard debris: $35-47 minimum		 HHW: Daily 9 AM - 4 PM | Transfer Station: Daily 7 AM - 7 PM Walk-in Metro South serves the southern Portland metro (Clackamas County, Oregon City area).

How it works in Portland

Two free options: (1) any PaintCare Oregon drop-off site (mostly independent paint and hardware retailers, ~190+ locations) — containers up to 5 gallons; or (2) Metro Central/Metro South HHW facility (up to 35 gallons paint/day for households). MetroPaint's recycled-latex brand closed Dec 31, 2025 after 30+ years; PaintCare and Metro HHW remain. Oregon was the first paint stewardship state in the US.

Local rules

  • Oregon Paint Stewardship Law (2009, program launched July 2010): Oregon was the FIRST state in the U.S. to launch a PaintCare paint-recycling program. Funded by a per-container fee at point of sale.

Worth knowing

  • MetroPaint — the Portland-area's iconic recycled latex paint brand that operated 1992-2025 — closed at the end of 2025. PaintCare and Metro HHW now handle all leftover paint in the region.
  • PaintCare Oregon has ~190+ year-round sites — more than 98% of Oregonians live within 15 miles of one; most are independent paint stores and hardware stores.
  • Oregon was the first state in the US to pass paint stewardship legislation (2009) and the first to launch PaintCare (July 2010) — its model was emulated by 11 other states and DC.

Multnomah County household hazardous waste

Metro Central HHW Facility

Daily 9 AM-4 PM. Free HHW drop-off, also accepts electronics (Oregon E-Cycles, 7/day limit) and batteries. 35-gallon HHW per visit cap.

(503) 234-3000 Official program page (opens in a new tab)

14 more Portland rules, not specific to this item
  • Oregon E-Cycles (ORS 459A.305-365): manufacturer-funded statewide e-waste program since 2009. Covers computers, monitors, TVs, laptops, tablets, printers, keyboards, and mice. Free up to 7 items/visit; households and small businesses/nonprofits with <=10 employees qualify.
  • Plastic Pollution and Recycling Modernization Act (SB 582, 2021; effective July 1, 2025): first Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) system for packaging in the U.S. Producers fund collection, sorting, and processing. Curbside list expanded statewide July 2025 to add screw-on plastic caps (attached to bottles) and clean pizza boxes.
  • Oregon Bottle Bill (1971, first in the U.S.): 10-cent deposit (raised from 5 cents on April 1, 2017 after redemption fell below 80% for two consecutive years).
  • Oregon HB 4144 / battery EPR (2024-2025 session): producer-funded statewide battery collection program required to launch by 2029; bans portable and medium-format (<=25 lb) batteries from the trash.
  • ORS 459A.010-040: Oregon's statewide recycling mandate requires local governments to provide recycling collection; prohibits the disposal of recyclable materials (including covered electronics) in landfills.
  • City of Portland Commercial Recycling Ordinance (Title 11): requires all commercial businesses and multifamily properties to have recycling service and meet minimum diversion requirements.
  • Metro is a unique elected regional government covering urban Multnomah, Washington, and Clackamas counties and 24 cities. It — not the county — runs the two permanent HHW facilities (Metro Central in NW Portland, Metro South in Oregon City) and the regional recycling hotline.
  • HHW free drop-off is capped at 35 gallons per visit by container size (households only); businesses must apply, schedule, and pay.
  • Oregon E-Cycles 7-item/day cap applies per person per site; larger loads may be charged.
  • Metro's two transfer stations recorded 61 fires in 2025, 58 caused by batteries thrown in the trash — a key driver of the new state battery EPR law.
  • Free neighborhood HHW collection events run roughly the last Saturday of each month March-November (skipping July/August).
  • Recycling Modernization Act curbside changes took effect July 1, 2025: plastic bottle caps OK if screwed on, clean (but greasy) pizza boxes OK.
  • Free Geek Portland is a community institution — founded in 1999, it has refurbished and distributed over 60,000 computers to the community. It's a donation drop-off point for legacy electronics that still have reuse value.
  • Portland's curbside recycling is bi-weekly (alternating weeks with garbage), and the city has one of the highest recycling participation rates in the country thanks to educational outreach and the Recycling Modernization Act funding.

Other Portland programs

  • Metro Central Transfer Station HHW FacilityPermanent HHW drop-off in NW Portland at 6161 NW 61st Ave. Free for households, up to 35 gallons per visit by container size. Accepts electronics (free via Oregon E-Cycles, up to 7 items/day), paint (free via PaintCare), batteries, fluorescent bulbs, pesticides, automotive fluids, and medications. Open daily 9AM-4PM.503-234-3000
  • Metro South Transfer Station HHW FacilitySecond permanent HHW facility in greater Portland (Oregon City, Clackamas County). Free HHW drop-off for households up to 35 gallons by container size. Also an Oregon E-Cycles site (7 covered electronics per day) and PaintCare site.503-234-3000
  • Oregon E-Cycles (state program)Free recycling of computers, monitors, laptops, tablets, TVs (CRT and flat-panel with viewable area >4" diagonal), printers, keyboards, and mice. Up to 7 items per person per visit at any participating collector statewide. Households, small businesses, and small nonprofits (10 or fewer employees) qualify.888-769-0149
  • PaintCare OregonStatewide paint stewardship program. Free drop-off for latex and oil-based architectural paints, primers, stains, sealers, shellac, and varnish at ~190+ year-round sites (most are independent paint and hardware retailers). Containers up to 5 gallons accepted. Free Large Volume Pickup (LVP) for contractors/property managers with 100+ gallons.855-724-6809
  • Metro Recycling Information / Ask MetroBilingual (English/Spanish) hotline for recycling, garbage, hazardous waste, and waste-reduction questions across the tri-county Portland metro. Mon-Fri 8:30 AM-5 PM.503-234-3000
  • Metro Neighborhood Hazardous Waste Collection EventsFree traveling HHW collection events in cities across the tri-county area, weekends from early spring through mid-November. No charge to drop off household hazardous waste. Typically held the last Saturday of each month March-November (excluding July/August).503-234-3000
  • Call2Recycle (battery drop-off network)Free drop-off for rechargeable batteries (including lithium-ion up to 11 lb) and single-use batteries (fees may apply) at participating Portland-area Home Depot, Lowe's, Staples, and battery/bike shops.877-723-1297
  • BottleDrop / Oregon Bottle Bill (OBRC)10-cent deposit redemption on beverage containers (water, soda, beer, kombucha, etc.). Return at grocery retailers, BottleDrop redemption centers, or via prepaid Green Bag account drop. Hand-count limit 50 containers/day; SB 992 (2025) authorizes alternative redemption centers in cities >500,000 (Portland only) accepting up to 350 containers/person/day.503-892-0395
  • Green Century Electronics Recycling (NW Portland)R2v3-, ISO 14001-, and ISO 45001-certified electronics recycler in NW Portland. On-site hard-drive destruction, business and consumer electronics drop-off.503-764-9963
  • Far West Recycling (Portland)Family-owned, R2-certified electronics recycler and ITAD provider in Portland. Handles commercial e-waste, on-site data destruction, and bulk recycling services. Accepts CRTs, computers, printers, and scrap metal.503-255-2299
  • Free Geek PortlandNonprofit that accepts and refurbishes donated computers, laptops, tablets, and electronics. Provides free or low-cost computers to low-income individuals and non-profits. Also offers e-waste drop-off for items not suitable for refurbishment. Located in SE Portland.503-232-9350
Where this came from: 13 sources

Common questions

About Latex Paint Disposal here

How much does Latex Paint disposal cost in this area?

3 of 5 facilities (60%) offer free disposal for Latex Paint. Facilities that may charge: Metro Central Transfer Station & Household Hazardous Waste Facility, Metro South Transfer Station & Household Hazardous Waste Facility. Metro Central Transfer Station & Household Hazardous Waste Facility: Free for HHW, electronics, mattresses. Garbage/yard debris: $35-47 minimum. Free recyclables drop-off.. Metro South Transfer Station & Household Hazardous Waste Facility: Free for HHW, electronics, mattresses. Garbage/yard debris: $35-47 minimum..

Do I need an appointment for Latex Paint drop-off?

No appointment needed. Metro Central Transfer Station & Household Hazardous Waste Facility, Metro South Transfer Station & Household Hazardous Waste Facility, Metro HHW Facilities (Paint Disposal at Central & South), Miller Paint (Portland) - PaintCare Drop-Off accept walk-ins.

Is pickup available for Latex Paint?

Most facilities require you to drop off Latex Paint. Check individual listings for special arrangements.

Are there quantity limits for Latex Paint drop-off?

Some facilities have limits: Metro Central Transfer Station & Household Hazardous Waste Facility: 35 gallons HHW, 7 electronics per day per person; Metro South Transfer Station & Household Hazardous Waste Facility: 35 gallons HHW, 7 electronics per day per person; Metro HHW Facilities (Paint Disposal at Central & South): 35 gallons by container size; Miller Paint (Portland) - PaintCare Drop-Off: Up to 5 gallons per container.

How long does it take for latex paint to dry out?

Open cans air dry in 2-7 days depending on humidity. For faster results, mix in kitty litter or commercial paint hardener — it solidifies in 15-30 minutes. Layer in a cardboard box if you have multiple cans.

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