You cannot throw liquid paint in your red lid bin in Sydney. It’s banned from landfill. Your options are the free Paintback scheme at participating locations, a NSW Community Recycling Centre, or hardening small amounts of water-based paint before binning. Never pour paint down the drain or into stormwater.
The Bunnings question everyone asks: Yes, many Bunnings Trade Centres and selected Warehouses across Sydney participate in Paintback. But not every store accepts paint—you’ll need to check the Paintback locator or call your local store first.
Which Disposal Method Should You Use?
Before you load paint tins into your car or start mixing in kitty litter, work out which disposal path suits your situation.
Is it standard house paint (Dulux, Taubmans, British Paints)? Take it to a Paintback site or Community Recycling Centre. Free disposal for up to 100 litres which is handy for left overs after large house painting jobs in Sydney.
Is it unidentified, solvent-based, or mixed with other chemicals? Take it to a Chemical CleanOut event or Community Recycling Centre. Don’t open rusted or unlabelled tins—treat them as hazardous waste.
Is it less than a litre of water-based paint? You can harden it yourself and put it in your red lid bin.
Is the tin completely empty and dry inside? Remove the lid and place both in your yellow lid recycling bin.
Where to Drop Off Paint in Sydney (Free Locations by Region)
Northern Sydney
Northern Sydney Community Recycling Centre
8 Waltham Street, Artarmon
Open Wednesday to Sunday (closed Monday, Tuesday and public holidays)
Phone: (02) 9936 8100
This drive-through facility serves residents of North Sydney, Willoughby, Hunters Hill, Lane Cove, Mosman and Ryde councils. Maximum 20 litres of paint per visit.
Thornleigh Community Recycling Centre
29 Sefton Road, Thornleigh
Tuesday to Friday 8:30am–4pm, Saturday 8:30am–12pm
Serves Hornsby council area.
Northern Beaches
Kimbriki Resource Recovery Centre
Kimbriki Road, Ingleside (off Mona Vale Road)
Open 7am–5pm daily (closed Christmas Day and Good Friday)
This is a Paintback site accepting up to 100 litres of paint. Paint disposal is free. Serves Northern Beaches and Mosman council residents.
Inner West
Canada Bay Community Recycling Centre
15-17 Regatta Road, Five Dock
Tuesday to Friday 8am–3pm, Saturday 7am–4pm
Phone: (02) 9911 6555
This is also a Paintback site, accepting up to 100 litres of paint (in 20L containers) from both residents and businesses.
Leichhardt Community Recycling Centre
50-54 Moore Street, Leichhardt
Saturday and Sunday 7:45am–11:30am, then 1pm–3:45pm
St Peters Community Recycling Centre
15-17 Unwins Bridge Road, St Peters (entry via Bolton Street)
Saturday and Sunday 8am–1pm
Inner West Council runs a pilot program with Circle Paints—good quality water-based paints dropped at St Peters are separated for reuse and sold at reduced prices.
Eastern Suburbs
Randwick Recycling Centre
72 Perry Street, Matraville
Monday to Friday 6am–3pm, Saturday 8am–11am
Accepts paints, gas bottles, motor oils, batteries, fluorescent tubes and e-waste free of charge.
Western Sydney
Liverpool Community Recycling Centre
99 Rose Street, Liverpool
Monday to Saturday 7am–3pm
Phone: 1300 362 170
This is a Paintback site accepting up to 100 litres of paint per day. Both household and trade customers welcome.
Penrith Community Recycling Centre
Gate 3, 96 Dunheved Circuit, St Marys
Monday to Friday 8:30am–2pm, Saturday 8am–12pm
A Paintback site accepting up to 100 litres of paint.
Hawkesbury Community Recycling Centre
1 The Driftway, South Windsor
Open 8am–4pm daily
Phone: (02) 4560 4444
A Paintback site accepting up to 100 litres of paint, seven days a week.
Blaxland Community Recycling Centre
28-30 Attunga Road, Blaxland
Monday to Sunday 8am–4:45pm (closed Christmas Day)
Katoomba Community Recycling Centre
49-89 Woodlands Road, Katoomba
Monday to Friday 10am–4pm, Saturday 10am–2pm (closed Sundays)
Mobile Collection Services (Western Sydney)
Residents of Cumberland, Blacktown and Parramatta councils can book a free pick-up through the Mobile Community Recycling Service at problemwaste.com.au. They’ll collect paint, batteries, oils, gas bottles and e-waste from your home.
South Sydney & Sutherland Shire
Sutherland Shire doesn’t currently have a permanent Community Recycling Centre, though one is planned for 2026/27. In the meantime, residents can use Chemical CleanOut events held periodically at Bellingara Netball Centre, 99-105 Bellingara Road, Miranda. Check sutherlandshire.nsw.gov.au for upcoming dates, or use any other CRC in NSW.
City of Sydney
City of Sydney residents can dispose of paint at the Household Chemical CleanOut events held at Alexandra Canal Depot, 67C Bourke Road, Alexandria. These events run several times per year—check cityofsydney.nsw.gov.au for the next scheduled date. Alternatively, any NSW resident can use Community Recycling Centres in neighbouring council areas.
Quick Reference: Sydney Paint Disposal Locations
| Location | Address | Paint Limit | Best For |
|---|---|---|---|
| Artarmon CRC | 8 Waltham Street | 20L | North Shore residents |
| Kimbriki | Kimbriki Road, Ingleside | 100L | Northern Beaches, tradies |
| Five Dock CRC | 15-17 Regatta Road | 100L | Inner West, tradies |
| Liverpool CRC | 99 Rose Street | 100L | South-west Sydney, tradies |
| St Marys CRC | 96 Dunheved Circuit | 100L | Penrith area |
| South Windsor CRC | 1 The Driftway | 100L | Hawkesbury, 7 days |
| Matraville | 72 Perry Street | 20L | Eastern Suburbs |
| Thornleigh CRC | 29 Sefton Road | 20L | Hornsby area |
How to Harden Paint for Bin Disposal
If you’ve got a small amount of water-based paint (less than a litre, or a tin that’s less than half full), you can solidify it for red lid disposal. This method works for acrylic and latex paints only—oil-based paints should go to a collection centre.
What you’ll need: Waste paint hardener from Bunnings (around $6), kitty litter, or shredded newspaper. Kitty litter works fastest.
The process:
Add your chosen absorbent material to the tin at roughly a 1:1 ratio. Stir thoroughly with a piece of timber until it reaches a thick, oatmeal-like consistency. Leave the lid off and place the tin somewhere ventilated—your garage or driveway works well. After a few hours, pierce the surface to check it’s solid all the way through. Once completely hardened, it can go in your red lid bin.
Try this now: Grab some kitty litter or shred some junk mail. Add it to your water-based paint tin, stir, and wait an hour. If it’s rock solid, you can bin it tonight.
Can You Wash Paint Down the Sink?
No. Under Sydney Water regulations, you cannot discharge paint into the sewerage system. It causes blockages and interferes with wastewater treatment. Washing brushes into street gutters is even worse—on-the-spot fines for polluting NSW stormwater drains are significant.
Water-based paint (acrylic/latex): Wash brushes in a bucket, then pour the dirty water onto a lawn or garden well away from any drains. The paint residue itself can be hardened using the method above.
Oil-based paint (enamel): Requires turpentine to clean brushes. The leftover turps-and-paint mix is hazardous waste. Store it in a sealed jar and take it to a Chemical CleanOut event or Community Recycling Centre.
What About Very Old Paint?
If the tin is rusted or the label is unreadable, treat it as hazardous waste. Don’t try to open it. Take it directly to a Community Recycling Centre or Chemical CleanOut event where staff can handle it safely.
Storing Paint You Want to Keep
Before disposing of usable paint, consider whether you’ll need it for touch-ups. Paint stored correctly can last up to ten years.
Place a layer of plastic wrap directly onto the paint surface before closing the lid—this prevents a skin from forming. Some painters swear by storing tins upside down, which creates an airtight seal. Either way, write the room name and date on the lid so you know what’s what in five years’ time.
If you genuinely don’t want it, offer it on Facebook Marketplace or your local Buy Nothing Sydney group before binning it. Someone renovating on a budget will likely take it off your hands.
A note on locations: Opening hours and services can change. It’s worth calling ahead or checking the relevant council website before making a trip, particularly on public holidays. The Paintback locator at paintback.com.au and NSW EPA’s Community Recycling Centre finder at epa.nsw.gov.au are kept up to date.
