Program Details
PaintCare offers drop-off sites throughout New York where the public can take unwanted paint for recycling. These sites are available to households, government agencies, and others with leftover paint.
Drop Off Paint
Large Volume Pickup (LVP) Service
If you have a large amount of unwanted paint (100+ gallons), PaintCare offers a free service to painting contractors, property managers, and others with large amounts of leftover architectural paint.
Products We Accept
PaintCare sites accept house paint as well as primers, stains, sealers, and clear coatings such as shellac and varnish. Accepted products, also referred to as “PaintCare products” and “architectural coatings,” are the same ones that carry the PaintCare fee when purchased.
Staten Island Door to Door Pickup Service
Do you have more than ten gallons of paint to recycle? For a limited time, PaintCare is offering a direct pickup service for households on Staten Island that have leftover paint, stain, and varnish. Learn more.
Upcoming Paint Recycling Events
Free Paint and E-Waste Recycling Drop-off Event
Fee and Funding
PaintCare programs are funded by a fee (referred to as the PaintCare fee) which is applied to the purchase price of each container of new paint sold in the state. There is no charge for dropping off paint at a PaintCare drop-off site. The PaintCare fee is not a tax or a deposit. The fee funds all aspects of the paint stewardship program.
For more information on the fee, visit the PaintCare Fee Page.
The fee in New York is based on container size as follows:
Official Documents
Summary of 2024 New York Annual Report
This one-page infographic highlights the successes from the most recent reporting period for the New York PaintCare program (January to December 2024). Please consider downloading and printing a copy of the infographic and then posting it for staff and the public at your business or organization.
Annual Reports
Fiscal Year
- 2025 Annual Report (July 2024 – June 2025)
- 2024 Annual Report (July 2023 – June 2024)
- 2023 Annual Report (May 2022 – June 2023)
Calendar Year
- 2024 Annual Report
- 2023 Annual Report
- 2022 Annual Report (May 2022 – December 2022)
State Agency
The oversight agency for the New York paint stewardship program is the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation.
Program Plan
PaintCare’s program plan for New York describes the operations, outreach, and other activities of the New York paint stewardship program:
- New York Architectural Paint Stewardship Program Plan (October 7, 2022)
- The plan for New York was conditionally approved by the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation on January 6, 2022.
Law
Laws relevant to the PaintCare program in New York can be found at http://public.leginfo.state.ny.us/lawssrch.cgi?NVLWO
- New York Consolidated Laws
- ENV – Environmental Conservation
- Article 27. Collection, Treatment and Disposal of Refuse and Other Solid Waste
- Title 20. Postconsumer Paint Collection Program, Sections 27-2001 – 27-2007