NYS Postconsumer Paint Collection Program

The New York State Postconsumer Paint Collection Program began on May 1, 2022. Help your state conserve resources, keep paint out of the solid waste stream, and prevent the improper disposal of paint in your community by visiting www.paintcare.org. PaintCare sites accept all brands of leftover house paint, stain, and varnish, whether recently used or many years old.

Drop-Off Locations

There are drop-off sites throughout the state, open to both residents and businesses. There is no cost to drop off unused products. The program is funded through a small fee paid on the purchase of all new covered products. To find your nearest drop-off site, use PaintCare’s search tool at www.paintcare.org or call the hotline at (855) PAINT09. *Check back often for new drop-off locations as this program is still developing.

Products Accepted

These products have a fee when you buy them and are accepted for drop-off at no additional cost:

Products NOT Accepted

These items are not accepted through the program and should be disposed of at a Household Hazardous Waste event.

• Interior and exterior architectural paints: latex, acrylic, water-based, alkyd, oil-based, enamel (including textured coatings)

• Deck coatings, floor paints (including elastomeric)

• Primers, sealers, undercoaters

• Stains

• Shellacs, lacquers, varnishes, urethanes (single component)

• Waterproofing concrete/masonry/wood sealers and repellents (not tar or bitumen-based)

• Metal coatings, rust preventatives

• Field and lawn paints

Leaking, unlabeled, and empty containers are not accepted at drop-off sites.

• Paint thinners, mineral spirits, solvents

• Aerosol paints (spray cans)

• Auto and marine paints

• Art and craft paints

• Caulk, epoxies, glues, adhesives

• Paint additives, colorants, tints, resins

• Wood preservatives (containing pesticides)

• Roof patch and repair

• Asphalt, tar, and bitumen-based products

• 2-component coatings

• Deck cleaners

• Traffic and road marking paints

• Industrial Maintenance (IM) coatings

• Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEM) (shop application) paints and finishes


What Happens to the Paint? 

PaintCare makes sure that your leftover paint is reused, remixed into recycled paint, used as a fuel, made into other products, or is properly disposed if no other beneficial use for it can be found. The condition of postconsumer paint when it is received by the program is an important consideration in determining how it will be managed. If paint containers are not sealed well or stored properly (indoors, out of rain or freezing temperatures), latex and oil-based paint can dry out or otherwise be spoiled by mold, rusting cans, or multiple freeze/thaw cycles making some or all the contents of an individual container of paint unusable or not recyclable.