Paint disposal in Tacoma, Washington

Rules

Curbside allowed

Yes

Appointment required

Not published by the city

Limits

The paint flyer does not state a cap on how many dried latex cans can go in the trash, and it does not say to schedule that trash. The setout page tells residents to use the regular pickup day. The hazardous-waste page says customers may dispose of up to 15 gallons or 220 pounds of household hazardous waste per visit. Pierce County's household hazardous waste page does not restate that gallon or pound limit. It lists oil-based paints and paint thinner as accepted, and it lists latex paint as not accepted, with a note that latex paint is accepted at Hidden Valley Transfer Station. The hazardous-waste page does not say an appointment is required for oil-based paint. It does say asbestos is accepted by appointment only, for a fee, and only for City of Tacoma residents. The rates page, content current as of 06/25/26, says residential curbside rates are effective January 1, 2026, and that the monthly bill is set by the size of the green garbage container. It does not publish a per-can paint price.

Preparation

• City paint flyer linked from the hazardous-waste page: latex (water-based) paints must be dried and thrown away in the trash with the lid off. Containers with less than an inch of paint can be air dried in a safe area away from pets and children before disposal. Containers with more than an inch of paint can be mixed with an equal amount of clay-based cat litter to harden before disposal.
• The same flyer: leftover oil-based paints are flammable and cannot be recycled or thrown away in the trash. Empty oil-based paints may be placed in the garbage with the lid off. Drop off leftover oil-based paints at the Household Hazardous Waste Facility for free.
• An older City of Tacoma Solid Waste paint sheet still posted online uses a different drying rule. It says an inch or less can be dried by removing the lid, protected from freezing, rain, children, and animals, and that this works best in warmer months. For more than an inch, it says mix with an equal amount of cat litter, or mix with cement, about 10 pounds of cement for one gallon, in a suitably sized container. It then says to put hardened or solidified cans in the garbage with the lids off. The flyer linked from the current hazardous-waste page does not state the cement method, and it says less than an inch rather than an inch or less.
• Garbage page, content current as of 08/11/26: liquids and hazardous materials are on the list of items that are not acceptable as curbside garbage.
• Setout guidelines, content current as of 05/01/26: set the container out by 7 a.m. on the pickup day, four feet from obstructions such as other containers, vehicles, telephone poles, fences, and buildings. For curbside pickup, place the container in the street or alley. The container must weigh 250 pounds or less and the lid must sit flat. Bag and tie all garbage before placing it in the container. The paint flyer says the paint-can lid stays off. The setout page does not mention paint cans.
• Hazardous-waste page, content current as of 01/05/26, for a trip to the facility: put liquids in sturdy, leak-proof containers, check the labels, and place containers upright in boxes so technicians can see them. Do not use plastic bags. Customers must drive up. The page says there is no walk-up or self-service. Waste must be properly labeled and sealed. Household hazardous waste is not accepted as garbage.

How to schedule

1. Use the city paint flyer to separate the cans. Latex, which the flyer calls water-based, must be dried and thrown away in the trash with the lid off. Leftover oil-based paint cannot be thrown away in the trash. The garbage page also lists liquids and hazardous materials as not acceptable at the curb.
2. Dry latex before it goes in the cart. The current flyer says a container with less than an inch can be air dried away from pets and children, and a container with more than an inch can be mixed with an equal amount of clay-based cat litter until it hardens. The older city sheet still online says an inch or less can be air dried, and that more than an inch can be mixed with an equal amount of cat litter or with about 10 pounds of cement per gallon. Both sheets say the can then goes in the garbage with the lid off. Set the cart out by 7 a.m. on the pickup day. The setout page also says to bag and tie all garbage, and it does not say how that applies to an open paint can.
3. Take leftover oil-based paint to the Household Hazardous Waste Facility at the Tacoma Recovery & Transfer Center, 3510 S. Mullen Street, Tacoma, WA 98409. The hazardous-waste page and the hours page say it is open Friday through Monday, 8 a.m. to 5:30 p.m., closed Tuesday through Thursday, and closed the Fourth of July, Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year's Day. The older paint sheet says the facility is open 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. every day. The current pages do not. Bring it labeled and sealed, in a sturdy leak-proof container, upright in a box, not in a plastic bag, and drive up. The page says the visit is free for Tacoma's residential customers and is limited to 15 gallons or 220 pounds. Call (253) 591-5418 with questions or unknown chemicals.
4. Pierce County's household hazardous waste page also lists that Tacoma site, as the Tacoma Recovery & Transfer Station at 3510 S Mullen St, Tacoma, with free household hazardous waste drop-off Friday through Monday, 8 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. It prints the phone as (253) 502-2100. The city's hours page uses (253) 591-5418 for the Household Hazardous Waste Facility and (253) 502-2100 for the transfer center and the Recycle Center.
5. Pierce County says latex paint is not accepted as household hazardous waste, except that its note says latex paint is accepted at Hidden Valley Transfer Station, 17925 Meridian E, Puyallup. The transfer stations page prints 17925 Meridian Ave E. Free household hazardous waste hours there are Tuesday and Thursday, 8 a.m. to noon and 1 p.m. to 5 p.m., and the phone on both county pages is (253) 847-7555. The transfer stations page also says the station is open seven days a week, 8 a.m. to 5:45 p.m. It does not say which of those hours apply to latex paint. Neither county page says whether a City of Tacoma resident may use Hidden Valley.
6. PaintCare is a separate drop-off. The city flyer says many interior and exterior architectural coatings in undamaged containers of 5 gallons or smaller can be recycled at a PaintCare drop-off for free. It tells readers to use paintcare.com for the list and locations, and it prints info@paint.org and (855) PAINT09. Ecology says to call a drop-off site first, to keep lids and original labels on the containers, and to load them securely. Ecology says the program accepts architectural paints, interior and exterior, sold in five-gallon containers or smaller, generally house paint, primers, stains, sealers, and clear coatings such as shellac and varnish. It says the program does not accept industrial coatings, original equipment coatings, specialty coatings, solvents, products intended for industrial use, or aerosols. Ecology says latex paint is accepted from anyone, including households and businesses, and that oil-based paint and other paint that may be dangerous waste is accepted only from households or small quantity generators. Ecology's business paints page says oil-based paint and paints that designate are accepted from small quantity generators only, and that the program also offers pickup for more than 100 gallons. That business page does not call the pickup free, and it points households to the paint stewardship page. Pierce County's paint page says PaintCare sites throughout Pierce County are available to households, businesses, government agencies, and others. It does not list a street address. A Pierce County message says Pierce County transfer stations are not PaintCare locations. The city flyer also says oil-based paint cannot be recycled, which is a different statement from Ecology's rule for household oil-based paint.

Phone, app, or portal

• Questions about hazardous waste: (253) 591-5418 or solidwaste@tacoma.gov. The hazardous-waste page says to call (253) 591-5418 for unknown chemicals or questions.
• Solid Waste Management: (253) 502-2100 or solidwaste@tacoma.gov. The garbage, setout, hours, and rates pages use this number for solid waste questions. Pierce County lists (253) 502-2100 for the Tacoma Recovery & Transfer Station.

Fees

Curbside

The rates page, content current as of 06/25/26, says rates are effective January 1, 2026, and that the monthly residential bill for curbside garbage, recycling, and food and yard waste is determined by the size of the green garbage container. One container is $30.03 a month for 30-gallon, $44.99 for 45-gallon, $59.98 for 60-gallon, and $89.97 for 90-gallon. Two 60-gallon containers are $119.96, one 60-gallon and one 90-gallon are $149.95, and two 90-gallon containers are $179.94. The same page says a Recycle Reset surcharge of $2.32 per month applies to all residential solid waste customers, and that customers in the Tacoma Public Utilities and Environmental Services bill payment assistance programs are waived from that surcharge. The paint flyer does not add a separate charge for a dried latex can or an empty oil-based can in that garbage.

Notes

The hazardous-waste page says the cost is free for Tacoma's residential customers, up to 15 gallons or 220 pounds per visit. The paint flyer says leftover oil-based paint can be dropped at that facility for free, and that empty aerosol cans can be recycled at the Tacoma Recycle Center for free. The rates page says residential customers may use the Household Hazardous Waste facility and the Recycle Center, both at the Tacoma Recovery and Transfer Center, at no additional cost. The same rates page publishes separate self-haul garbage fees for the Tacoma Recovery & Transfer Center, which it says was formerly the Tacoma landfill. City of Tacoma residential garbage is $7.25 per 100 pounds, with a $20.00 minimum that covers the first 400 pounds. Non-city residential garbage is $8.50 per 100 pounds, with a $40.00 minimum that covers the first 400 pounds. City of Tacoma commercial garbage is $8.50 per 100 pounds, with a $40.00 minimum. Fractions of 100 pounds are billed to the next 100-pound increment. Accepted payments are cash, credit card, or check. The rates page says proof of residency is required for the city residential landfill fee. The garbage page says the proof for residential self-haul rates is a current Washington driver's license or ID with a Tacoma address, or a picture ID with a current City utility bill. Those proof lines are about garbage self-haul rates. The hazardous-waste page does not repeat them. Pierce County's household hazardous waste page says drop-off is free at the Tacoma site and at Hidden Valley. Pierce County's transfer stations page says its published garbage rates do not apply at the Tacoma Recovery and Transfer Center, because that center is not part of Pierce County's system, and that county facilities are closed on Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year's Day. The city flyer and Ecology's paint page both describe PaintCare drop-off as free. Ecology's business page does not give a price for the pickup it mentions above 100 gallons.

Drop-off locations

Three published drop-offs cover different cans. Tacoma's Household Hazardous Waste Facility takes leftover oil-based paint and does not take latex. Pierce County says latex paint is accepted at Hidden Valley and does not say whether City of Tacoma residents may use that station. The Tacoma Recycle Center, at the same Mullen Street address as the hazardous-waste facility, is where the city flyer says to take empty aerosol cans. PaintCare locations are not listed by street address on the city, county, or Ecology pages read for this record. The county message says Pierce County transfer stations are not PaintCare locations. Hours below follow the page named on each site. Where a second official page prints a different hour, phone, or address, that version is in the same text.

What's not accepted

• Leftover oil-based paint in the trash. The city flyer says oil-based paint cannot be thrown away in the trash. The hazardous-waste page says household hazardous waste is not accepted as garbage. The older city sheet says never to put oil-based paint or thinner down a drain or into the garbage. Pierce County says household hazardous waste should never be poured down the drain, onto the ground, into storm sewers, or thrown in the trash.
• Liquid paint in the curbside cart. The garbage page lists liquids and hazardous materials as not acceptable. The current flyer says latex must be dried first. The older sheet says the Tacoma Landfill may not accept latex paint that is not solidified.
• Latex paint (water-based) or water-based stain at Tacoma's Household Hazardous Waste Facility. The older sheet says the same facility does not accept latex paint. Pierce County lists latex paint as not accepted and notes that it is accepted at Hidden Valley.
• Commercial or business hazardous waste at Tacoma's facility. Pierce County says the household hazardous waste facilities at Hidden Valley and at the Tacoma Recovery & Transfer Center do not accept hazardous waste from businesses. For commercial options it lists the Tacoma-Pierce County Health Department Hazardous Waste Line, (800) 287-6429.
• PaintCare, as Ecology describes it, does not accept industrial coatings, original equipment coatings, specialty coatings, solvents, products intended for industrial use, or aerosols. Acceptance is for architectural paints sold in five-gallon containers or smaller. The city flyer limits its free PaintCare sentence to undamaged containers of 5 gallons or smaller. The same flyer says oil-based paint cannot be recycled. Ecology says households and small quantity generators can drop off oil-based paint.
• Leftover product in an aerosol can is not the Recycle Center item. The flyer says that leftover product may be hazardous waste and should go to the Household Hazardous Waste Facility. Empty aerosol cans go to the Recycle Center. Pierce County lists unempty aerosol cans as accepted household hazardous waste.

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