# What do I do with a 5 gallon of left over paint? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [May 25, 2009, 4:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-i-do-with-a-5-gallon-of-left-over-paint/497531 "2009-05-25T04:18:38Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 11\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Cubsfan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f4b2a3/32.png) [@Cubsfan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cubsfan)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2009, 4:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-i-do-with-a-5-gallon-of-left-over-paint/497531/1 "2009-05-25T04:18:38Z")
I’ve got a hodgepodge mixture of pants in a 5 gallon bucket that I need to dispose of. Any idea where to get rid of it? It’s unusable. ---
**Author:** ![Casserole](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/b77776/32.png) [@Casserole](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Casserole)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2009, 4:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-i-do-with-a-5-gallon-of-left-over-paint/497531/2 "2009-05-25T04:33:19Z")
I remember reading (I think it was here) that you could donate it to Habitat for Humanity. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![whatami](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/85f322/32.png) [@whatami](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/whatami)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2009, 5:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-i-do-with-a-5-gallon-of-left-over-paint/497531/3 "2009-05-25T05:40:09Z")
You might be able to recycle it. We do that here in the Portland, OR Metro area. ---
**Author:** ![Darryl\_Lict](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/7cd45c/32.png) [@Darryl\_Lict](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darryl_Lict)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2009, 6:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-i-do-with-a-5-gallon-of-left-over-paint/497531/4 "2009-05-25T06:32:03Z")
> [@whatami](#): > > You might be able to recycle it. > > We do that here in the Portland, OR Metro area. Same here. Our hazardous materials collection center remixes various paints that are reused for generic purposes. ---
**Author:** ![boytyperanma](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/4491bb/32.png) [@boytyperanma](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/boytyperanma)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2009, 6:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-i-do-with-a-5-gallon-of-left-over-paint/497531/5 "2009-05-25T06:42:48Z")
If it’s latex based paint it is considered non-hazardous when it hardens. You could paint something or add a hardener. Oil based paints see about local hazmat disposal options. ---
**Author:** ![Erdosain](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/erdosain/32/7284_2.png) [@Erdosain](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Erdosain)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2009, 6:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-i-do-with-a-5-gallon-of-left-over-paint/497531/6 "2009-05-25T06:50:09Z")
What **boytyperanma** said. If it’s latex-based paint, buy some kitty litter and stir it in. Let dry and then you can put it in the regular trash. If it’s oil-based paint, you’ll have to look up your local hazardous materials collection point and drop it off there. Most communities let you do it for free, but it’s only on certain days and so forth. ---
**Author:** ![racer72](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/racer72/32/3075_2.png) [@racer72](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/racer72)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2009, 2:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-i-do-with-a-5-gallon-of-left-over-paint/497531/7 "2009-05-25T14:14:54Z")
Give it away on Craigslist. I painted my house a few years ago with paint I picked up free off Craigslist. ---
**Author:** ![Cubsfan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f4b2a3/32.png) [@Cubsfan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cubsfan)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2009, 3:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-i-do-with-a-5-gallon-of-left-over-paint/497531/8 "2009-05-25T15:08:44Z")
Thanks for the tips. When I say it’s unusable though it is truly unusable. I took about 8 different cans of various leftover latex paints that have been sitting in my garage for a few years and dumped them all in a single 5 gallon bucket and threw the empty cans in the trash. Now I’ve got a 5 gallon bucket of paint that is some f’d up color that is probably not useful. ---
**Author:** ![DudleyGarrett](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/d9b06d/32.png) [@DudleyGarrett](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DudleyGarrett)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2009, 3:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-i-do-with-a-5-gallon-of-left-over-paint/497531/9 "2009-05-25T15:35:01Z")
You can buy this powder at Home Depot or Lowe’s that will harden the paint so it’s a dried up blob. You can then put it out for your trash… ---
**Author:** ![ratatoskK](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ratatoskk/32/2987_2.png) [@ratatoskK](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ratatoskK)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2009, 3:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-i-do-with-a-5-gallon-of-left-over-paint/497531/10 "2009-05-25T15:57:17Z")
Another vote for the hardener. ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2009, 4:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-i-do-with-a-5-gallon-of-left-over-paint/497531/11 "2009-05-25T16:03:42Z")
> [@Cubsfan](#): > > Thanks for the tips. When I say it’s unusable though it is truly unusable. I took about 8 different cans of various leftover latex paints that have been sitting in my garage for a few years and dumped them all in a single 5 gallon bucket and threw the empty cans in the trash. Now I’ve got a 5 gallon bucket of paint that is some f’d up color that is probably not useful. As others mentioned, the fact that you’ve mixed colors does not render the paint unusable. It can still be recycled. See [here](http://www.ciwmb.ca.gov/Condemo/Paint/#State) for information from the California Integrated Waste Management Board.