Reviewed September 21, 2026 against City and County sources. Confirm hours before you drive.
- 1Keep paint in the original labeled can with a tight lid. Do not mix colors or dump it into a bigger bucket.
- 2Look up a PaintCare drop-off at paintcare.org. Most sites take up to 5 gallons per visit. Call first.
- 3City of San Diego residents can also book a free HHW appointment at 5161 Convoy St for unused paint.
- 4Aerosol spray paint, empty cans, and leaking cans are not PaintCare products — use HHW or recycle empty metal cans only when they are truly empty.
PaintCare is the first stop
California’s paint stewardship program is run by PaintCare. You already paid a small PaintCare fee when you bought architectural paint: no fee on a half-pint or smaller, $0.30 on pints, $0.65 on 1–2 gallon cans, and $1.50 on cans larger than 2 gallons up to 5 gallons (City of San Diego Environmental Services posts that table). Drop-off itself is free. Use the locator at paintcare.org — enter a San Diego ZIP — and call the store before you load the car.
PaintCare sites accept interior and exterior architectural coatings in original containers of 5 gallons or smaller with the manufacturer label and a secured lid: latex, acrylic, water-based, oil-based, enamel, primers, stains, sealers, and single-component varnishes, lacquers, and urethanes. They do not take leaking, unlabeled, or empty containers. They also do not take aerosol coatings, paint thinner, mineral spirits, auto or marine paint, craft paint, adhesives, tar-based products, or two-component coatings. Those leftovers belong at household hazardous waste, not on a paint-store counter.
CalRecycle is explicit: do not dump leftover paint on land or down a drain. Empty, dry metal cans can go in recycling once they are truly empty; leftover liquid cannot. Large volumes (about 100 gallons or more) may qualify for PaintCare’s free large-volume pickup for contractors and property managers — that is PaintCare’s program, not a junk-removal job.
City HHW and what Fred will not haul
The City of San Diego also accepts unused and surplus paints at no charge at the Household Hazardous Waste Transfer Facility, 5161 Convoy Street, by appointment only. Bring proof of City residency. Hours have been Wednesday and Saturday 9 a.m.–3 p.m. — confirm when you book at sandiego.gov/hhw or 858-694-7000. Limits are generally 15 gallons or 125 pounds of HHW per trip, and containers larger than 5 gallons are not accepted there either.
Unincorporated residents use County HHW (sdhhw.org, 1-877-713-2784). Several South Bay cities share a drop-off that does not need an appointment. WasteFreeSD.org will point you to the right desk if you are unsure which city collects your trash.
Fred’s Junk Removal does not take paint, stain, thinner, or spray cans. California treats leftover coatings as hazardous waste. We will still haul the furniture, bags, and debris next to the paint shelf. Leave the cans out of the pile, drop them at PaintCare or HHW, and text a photo of everything else.
Official sources
Fred’s does not haul this material. Use the official drop-off above. We will still take the rest of the pile — text a photo of the non-hazardous junk.
