How long does it take for latex paint to dry out?

Open cans air dry in 2-7 days depending on humidity. For faster results, mix in kitty litter or commercial paint hardener — it solidifies in 15-30 minutes. Layer in a cardboard box if you have multiple cans.

Paint Disposal · Nashville, TN · Local guide

Latex Paint Disposal in Nashville

Q: Where can Nashville residents drop off latex paint disposal?

Metro Nashville HHW Collection accepts most household items. Free HHW disposal for Davidson County residents. Phone: (615) 862-8631. Verify hours and accepted items before going.

Latex paint is NOT accepted at Metro HHW sites. Per Metro Public Works' latex paint disposal policy, residents dry it out with cat litter, sawdust, mulch, shredded paper, or commercial paint hardener and put the solidified can (lid off) in regular curbside trash. TN BOPAE rules specifically exclude latex paint from the materials counties must accept at convenience centers.

Where to drop off latex paint disposal in Nashville

3 local options, verified against listing sources.

Davidson County household hazardous waste program

Metro Nashville HHW Collection

Free HHW disposal for Davidson County residents.

Phone: (615) 862-8631 · Website: official program page ↗

Other local programs

Omohundro Convenience Center (e-waste only, no HHW)

Electronics drop-off (TVs, computers, printers, etc.); also handles construction/demolition material for a fee. Does not accept HHW chemicals.
Ezell Pike Convenience Center (HHW + e-waste)

Full-service HHW facility accepting paints, chemicals, pesticides, automotive fluids, and electronics at 3254 Ezell Pk. Davidson County ID required. 15-gallon/100-pound HHW limit per visit. Tue-Sat 8:30 AM-4:30 PM.
East Convenience Center (HHW + e-waste)

Full-service HHW facility accepting paints, chemicals, pesticides, automotive fluids, and electronics at 943A Doctor Richard G. Adams Dr. Davidson County ID required. 15-gallon/100-pound HHW limit per visit. Tue-Sat 8:30 AM-4:30 PM.
Tennessee Mobile HHW Collection Service (TDEC)

Spring (late March-early June) and fall (post-Labor Day-early November) one-day collections in TN counties for paints, chemicals, pesticides, fluorescent bulbs. Does NOT accept paint, electronics, or alkaline batteries — counties must handle these BOPAE materials year-round locally.
Call2Recycle drop-off network

Rechargeable and lithium-ion battery drop-offs at participating retailers (Home Depot, Lowe's, Staples, Best Buy, Batteries Plus) and at the Ezell Pike Convenience Center.
Metro Council district shredding events

Free document shredding plus bulk-item drop-off, periodically hosted by individual council districts (often co-hosted with the Metro Beautification and Environment Commission).
Batteries Plus Bulbs — Nashville locations

Free recycling for rechargeable batteries, single-use batteries, and fluorescent light bulbs/tubes at all Nashville-area Batteries Plus stores. Also accepts small electronics (phones, tablets) and ballasts for recycling; some disposal fees may apply for CRTs and large electronics.

Phone: 615-331-1551
Nashville Foam Recycling Drop-Off (convenience centers)

Free expanded polystyrene (EPS) foam drop-off at all four Metro convenience centers. Accepts clean white foam blocks, packing peanuts (bagged separately), and food trays. Must be clean — no food residue, tape, labels, or colored foam.
Tennessee Waste Tire Program — Davidson County site

Each Tennessee county must provide at least one waste tire collection site. Davidson County residents can drop off up to 10 tires per year at Metro convenience centers (fees apply for quantities over the limit). TDEC enforces the Waste Tire Act under T.C.A. 68-211-800.
Tennessee Environmental Council Recycling Roundup events

Periodic community recycling roundup events in the Nashville area organized by TEC, accepting hard-to-recycle items including tires, mattresses, scrap metal, Styrofoam, and electronics. Typically held in spring and fall; dates vary annually.

What to know in Nashville

Local rules and laws

Metro Code 10.20.095: effective July 1, 2015, electronic waste may not be placed in solid waste containers nor collected with solid waste in Davidson County. Yard waste and corrugated cardboard are also banned from curbside trash under the same section.
Tennessee Electronics Recycling Act of 2011: requires covered electronics manufacturers to register with TDEC and provide collection/recycling opportunities, but does NOT establish a statewide landfill ban for residential e-waste.
Tennessee Solid Waste Management Rule 0400-11-01: business/institutional e-scrap typically qualifies as 'special waste' requiring a TDEC special-waste application before landfill disposal.
Tennessee statute (T.C.A. Title 68, Ch. 211): each county must provide at least one site to receive waste tires, used motor oil/fluids, and lead-acid batteries.
T.C.A. § 68-211-800 et seq. (Tennessee Waste Tire Act): prohibits landfilling of whole waste tires and requires each county to provide a waste tire collection site; establishes a waste tire fund financed by a $0.70/tire fee on new tire sales.
Tennessee BOPAE Program (T.C.A. § 68-211-907): requires each county convenience center to accept Batteries, Oil, Paint, Antifreeze, and Electronics from households. Davidson County complies by offering separate HHW (East/Ezell Pike) and e-waste (East/Ezell/Omohundro) drop-offs.
T.C.A. § 68-211-907(d): lead-acid batteries are banned from disposal in Tennessee landfills, incinerators, and waste-to-energy facilities; retailers selling lead-acid batteries must accept used ones for recycling per state law.
Tennessee Universal Waste Rule (T.C.A. § 68-212-401): regulates the management of universal wastes including mercury-containing lamps, recalled pesticides, and certain batteries to streamline disposal and encourage recycling.

Useful local details

Tennessee has no statewide e-waste landfill ban as of 2026 — the prohibition on tossing electronics in Davidson County comes from local Metro Code 10.20.095, not state law.
Tennessee is not a PaintCare state — no paint stewardship program operates in TN, so all paint disposal is handled through Metro's HHW facility or by drying-and-trashing latex paint.
Latex (water-based) paint is NOT accepted at Nashville HHW sites — residents must dry it out (cat litter, sawdust, paint hardener, or by leaving lid off) and then dispose with regular trash.
The TDEC mobile HHW collection events that visit TN counties twice yearly explicitly stopped taking paint, electronics, and alkaline batteries — counties must handle these BOPAE materials year-round locally.
Davidson County imposes a 15-gallons/100-pounds-per-visit HHW limit and a one-computer-system-per-month limit at convenience centers.
TVs over 80 inches wide are not accepted at Nashville convenience centers.
Post-1996 alkaline batteries (with no mercury) are considered non-hazardous in TN and can legally go in household trash, though recycling is still preferred.
Three of four Metro convenience centers (East, Ezell Pike, Omohundro) accept e-waste; only two (East and Ezell Pike) accept HHW; Anderson Lane accepts neither.
Nashville convenience-center credit/debit transactions carry a 2.8% fee ($1.95 minimum).
Tennessee hosts major EV-battery manufacturing (Envision AESC in Smyrna for Nissan LEAF; Ford's BlueOval City), and Redwood Materials has a recycling agreement with Envision AESC — but there is no consumer EV-battery drop-off program; EV batteries go through dealerships.
Nashville Metro publishes useful recycling right guides and a Waste Wizard online tool to help residents determine which bin items go in.
The Anderson Lane Convenience Center (Madison) accepts trash, recycling, bulky waste, and foam but NOT e-waste or HHW — a frequent point of confusion for north Davidson County residents.

For general paint disposal info — what's recyclable, how to prepare items, where the materials go — see the national paint disposal guide. For all Nashville options, browse paint disposal in Nashville.

Sources verified for this guide

Updated · 2026-05-19