Best Ways to Toss Paint, Other Hazardous Materials in Illinois

The previous owners of our home left behind a lot of old paint and stain that needs to get thrown out. Here's what I learned about how to do it properly.

Having one of those weeks where I need to get some things done I've put off for too long.

Cleaning out a lot of unwanted things around the house

One whole shelf unit in our basement was filled with gallons of old paint that can no longer be used. Add to that, three 5-gallon buckets of unusable deck stain we found in the shed.

We knew you couldn't just throw it in a garbage can to go to the curb, but we didn't know what we're supposed to do with it all.

On Facebook, I found that I'm not the only one wanting to know what do do with old paint. And this post provided more helpful info than just what to do with the paint.

City of Rockford Government: What is the correct way to dispose of old/used paint. ie: Cans that are 1/4 to full of paint that may, or may not, be any good as paint anymore.
Posted by Rob Belles on Tuesday, July 7, 2020

In the comment section, this is how the City of Rockford replied to Rob's question:

Illinois residents (not businesses) can dispose of household hazardous waste at the Household Hazardous Waste Disposal Center at 3333 Kishwaukee Street on Saturdays from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. and on Sunday from noon to 4 p.m., excluding holidays.
Commonly generated acceptable hazardous wastes includes the following: aerosols, corrosives, oxidizers, solvents, oil-based paints, waste oil, pesticides, fertilizers, batteries (no alkaline), and fluorescent lamps.
Latex paint will not be accepted. Residents are encourage to dispose of open cans of latex paint by leaving them open to dry or by adding cat litter or oil dry to help speed up solidification process. Paint cans containing completely dry paint, with lids removed, should then be placed next to garbage cans containing general household refuse on normal pick-up days.

When in doubt with what to do with potentially hazardous materials you wish to throw out, visit the Keep Northern Illinois Beautiful (KNIB) website.