Why can't oil-based paint go in the trash?

Oil-based paint is classified as hazardous waste because it contains flammable solvents, heavy metals, and chemicals that can contaminate groundwater. It must be taken to a household hazardous waste facility for proper treatment.

Paint Disposal · Salt Lake City, UT · Local guide

Oil Based Paint Disposal in Salt Lake City

Q: Where can Salt Lake City residents drop off oil based paint disposal?

Salt Lake Valley Landfill HHW Facility accepts most household items. Free for Salt Lake County residents. Accepts paint, batteries, and electronics including TVs/CRTs/computers. Mon-Sat 7 AM-5 PM. Phone: (385) 468-3862. Verify hours and accepted items before going.

Always hazardous — never trash, never let dry out and toss. Free drop-off at all three SL County HHW sites (Sandy, Salt Lake Valley Landfill, Trans-Jordan); these are the only legitimate disposal points in the metro since Murray City PW stopped accepting HHW and PaintCare does not operate in Utah.

Where to drop off oil based paint disposal in Salt Lake City

4 local options, verified against listing sources.

Salt Lake County household hazardous waste program

Salt Lake Valley Landfill HHW Facility

Free for Salt Lake County residents. Accepts paint, batteries, and electronics including TVs/CRTs/computers. Mon-Sat 7 AM-5 PM.

Phone: (385) 468-3862 · Website: official program page ↗

Other local programs

Salt Lake County HHW Collection Center (Sandy)

Dedicated HHW facility at 8805 S 700 W, Sandy. Mon-Sat 7am-5pm. Accepts paint, batteries, electronics (incl. TVs/CRTs/computers), fluorescent bulbs, automotive fluids, pesticides, aerosols. Business waste accepted by appointment only. Free for Salt Lake County residents.

Phone: 385-468-4380
Salt Lake Valley Landfill HHW (California Ave)

Residential HHW and e-waste drop-off at 6030 W California Ave, Salt Lake City. Accepts paint, batteries, electronics, TVs, fluorescent bulbs, and automotive fluids. Free for SL County residents. Does NOT accept business waste.

Phone: 385-468-4380
Trans-Jordan Landfill HHW

Third county HHW drop-off at 10473 S Bacchus Hwy, South Jordan. Accepts paint, batteries, fluorescent bulbs, automotive fluids. Does NOT accept electronics.

Phone: 801-971-1976
Salt Lake City Call 2 Haul

Free curbside bulk pickup for SLC garbage customers; includes electronics, TVs, computers, printers, small appliances. Two pickups/year (one bulk, one green waste). Single-family + most duplex/triplex.

Phone: 801-535-6999
Wasatch Front Waste & Recycling District (WFWRD)

Serves unincorporated SL County, Holladay, Kearns, Magna, Millcreek, Taylorsville, Herriman, Cottonwood Heights, Brighton, Emigration Canyon. Refers residents to county HHW + private e-waste vendors (Metech, TAMS, Recycle Solutions).

Phone: 385-468-6325
Momentum Recycling (Salt Lake City)

Local Salt Lake City processor offering curbside glass ($8.49/mo via SLC utility bill) and electronics special-collection services. Glass is processed locally in SLC.

Phone: 801-355-0334
Metech Recycling (SLC)

WFWRD-referenced e-waste processor at 369 Orange St., Salt Lake City. Handles computers, business electronics. R2-certified.

Phone: 866-479-4920
Recycle Solutions (West Valley)

WFWRD-referenced e-waste vendor at 2066 W 2300 S. Drop-off for computers/electronics.

Phone: 801-590-8847
Call2Recycle (Salt Lake City network)

Free rechargeable + cell phone battery drop-off at participating Home Depot, Lowe's, Batteries+Bulbs, Staples, etc. across the SLC metro. Use locator for nearest bin.
Batteries Plus Bulbs — Salt Lake City locations

Free recycling for rechargeable and single-use batteries plus fluorescent bulbs/tubes at SLC-area Batteries Plus stores. Also accepts small electronics (phones, tablets) and ballasts for recycling.
Greentec Recycling (Salt Lake City)

Commercial processor for hybrid and EV battery packs. Handles HV battery replacement and recycling through the automotive trade in the SLC area.

Phone: 888-599-9629
Salt Lake City Sustainability / SLCgreen

City program providing waste-sorting guidance, recycling resources, and community education. Operates the SLC Waste Wizard online tool for finding how to dispose of specific items. Manages the Call 2 Haul program and curbside compost program.

Phone: 801-535-6999

What to know in Salt Lake City

Local rules and laws

Utah Code 19-6-12 (Disposal of Electronic Waste Program): requires manufacturers to offer collection/recycling for consumer electronics, but Utah does NOT mandate e-waste recycling and has NO statewide landfill ban on electronics — the law is notably more permissive than most western states.
Utah Code 19-6-6 (Lead Acid Battery Disposal): it is illegal to landfill a vehicle/lead-acid battery in Utah; retailers selling lead-acid batteries must accept up to two used batteries from a customer at purchase.
Utah is NOT a PaintCare state — no paint stewardship law has passed, so there is no PaintCare-funded drop-off network and no point-of-sale paint recovery fee.
Salt Lake County HHW sites publicly state landfills in Salt Lake, Davis, and Summit counties will not knowingly accept hazardous waste (including batteries) from households or businesses, even though there is no formal statewide ban.
Solid waste regulated under Utah Admin Code R315 by the DEQ Division of Waste Management and Radiation Control.
Utah Code 19-6-910: adopted the federal Universal Waste Rule, regulating management of batteries, pesticides, mercury-containing devices, and lamps to encourage recycling over disposal.
Utah Code 19-6-903: prohibits open dumping of solid waste including hazardous materials; landfills are required to have programs preventing hazardous waste acceptance.

Useful local details

Three-site HHW model: Sandy collection center (8805 S 700 W), Salt Lake Valley Landfill (6030 W California Ave), Trans-Jordan Landfill (10473 S Bacchus Hwy). Sandy and the Valley Landfill accept electronics; Trans-Jordan does NOT.
All three sites are FREE for Salt Lake County residents for household-sized loads — paid for via the county landfill assessment, not per-drop fees.
Salt Lake Valley Landfill is residential-only for e-waste; businesses must go to Sandy by appointment (385-468-4380) or to private processors.
Salt Lake City residents (SLC proper, garbage-billed by the city) get TWO free Call 2 Haul pickups/year — including e-waste — separate from the county HHW system. WFWRD residents (Holladay, Millcreek, Magna, Taylorsville, etc.) do NOT get this; they rely on county HHW.
Murray City Public Works STOPPED accepting HHW/paint — older directories listing Murray are stale. Use the three county sites.
Empty or dried-out latex paint cans are NOT accepted at HHW sites (and Utah has no PaintCare network) — residents are on their own to dry small amounts and trash the can.
SLC garbage cart is green; recycling cart is blue; compost cart is brown; optional glass cart is gray and runs through Momentum Recycling, not the city.
Salt Lake City vs Salt Lake County: 'Salt Lake City' = the city with Call 2 Haul and SLC Sustainability/SLCgreen. 'Salt Lake County' = the broader Health Dept HHW program serving all county residents including SLC.
Lead-acid car battery disposal: state law forces retailer takeback — any auto parts store (AutoZone, O'Reilly, NAPA, Interstate) must accept used car batteries; usually with a small core credit.
Winter: HHW sites stay on year-round Mon-Sat 7am-5pm hours; occasional weather closures aren't published in advance — call ahead during major snow events.
Utah is one of the few Western states without PaintCare — residents in SLC must rely solely on county HHW sites for paint disposal, unlike neighboring states CO (PaintCare) and OR (PaintCare).
The Great Salt Lake's receding shoreline has exposed old dump sites and raised environmental concerns about hazardous materials in former landfills — driving increased community awareness about proper HHW disposal.

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

Sources verified for this guide

Updated · 2026-05-19