Paint: dry out the latex, drop off the rest
Latex paint isn't hazardous waste. Monmouth, Ocean and Burlington counties and Hamilton Township all say to let it dry out and put it in your household trash. Take the lid off and mix in sand or kitty litter to dry it faster, as Hamilton suggests, and leave the lid off the dried can when it goes out.
Oil-based paint, stains and varnish are hazardous. They go to your county's household hazardous waste program, or to a paint drop-off day where your county or town runs one.
New Jersey has no PaintCare program, the industry-run paint recycling network that some states have, so there's no statewide system of paint drop-off sites at stores. Bills to create one (S666 and A3383) were introduced in January 2026 and cleared committee in March, but they haven't passed. Until one does, your county and town programs are the free option.
Propane tanks
Propane tanks never go in the trash or the recycling. Grill-size tanks go to the county household hazardous waste program in Monmouth, Mercer and Middlesex counties and to Ocean County's hazardous waste events. Burlington County handles them separately at its Resource Recovery Complex (details below).
Swapping a tank is often the easiest way out. Monmouth County's recycling guide notes that many gas stations and home centers give credit when you trade in an old tank, and Ocean County's guide points residents to hardware store exchanges and the BlueRhino, Paraco and AmeriGas locators between hazardous waste events.
Tires
Tires are handled apart from regular trash: Monmouth County's guide says tires can't be mixed with other materials, and Burlington's Resource Recovery Complex can't landfill them. Every county in our area has a way for residents to drop off car tires, usually with a per-household limit and rims removed. Some are free and some charge a fee per tire, so check the rules for your county below before you load the car.
TVs, computers and other electronics
New Jersey's Electronic Waste Management Act bans desktop and laptop computers, tablets, monitors, desktop printers, desktop fax machines and TVs from the trash. Microwaves, DVD players and similar items aren't covered by that law, though the Monmouth, Ocean and Burlington county drop-offs take many of them anyway.
Collection sites that run under a manufacturer's plan can't charge consumers for the covered items, and the NJDEP publishes a list of free collection sites every year. Manufacturer programs also offer home pickup for devices of 50 pounds or more and TVs over 40 inches.
Monmouth County drop-offs
- Hazardous waste: the county Household Hazardous Waste Facility at 3211 Shafto Road in Tinton Falls is open Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday 11am–4pm and Saturday 8am–4pm. It's free for county residents with proof of residency, and no appointment is needed. It takes oil-based, enamel and spray paint, gasoline, motor oil and propane BBQ tanks, empty or full, with the valve still attached. It doesn't take latex paint or electronics, and vehicles with commercial plates and rentals are turned away.
- Propane: besides the hazardous waste facility and retailer trade-ins, the county guide notes that some private scrap yards take empty tanks with the valve removed. Call the yard first.
- Tires: residents can drop off up to 8 car tires, 18 inches or smaller with the rims off, free at the county Reclamation Center, 6000 Asbury Avenue in Tinton Falls (Monday–Friday 7am–3:30pm, Saturday 7am–noon). Many towns take tires at their own recycling centers too.
- Electronics: computers, monitors, laptops, printers, TVs, phones, stereos and VCR or DVD players go free to the Reclamation Center for residents, small businesses and institutions. Your town's public works department may run its own electronics collection.
Ocean County drop-offs
- Year-round special waste: the county's Northern Recycling Center (601 New Hampshire Avenue, Lakewood) and Southern Recycling Center (379 Haywood Road, Manahawkin) are open Monday–Saturday 7:30am–3pm. Both take latex, oil, boat and spray paint (up to 20 gallons a day, no businesses or contractors), motor oil, antifreeze, car and rechargeable batteries, TVs and other electronics, small appliances, and tires (the county says a fee may apply).
- Hazardous waste events: propane tanks, gasoline, pool chemicals, stains and fire extinguishers go only to the county's household hazardous waste events. They're by appointment with online registration, for Ocean County residents only, with a driver's license or tax bill as proof. The events don't take electronics or batteries. Check the county's household hazardous waste page for the current schedule.
- Town paint drop-offs: Berkeley (Bayville), Brick, Lacey, Little Egg Harbor, Point Pleasant Beach (Point Pleasant), Seaside Park, Toms River and Tuckerton run paint drop-offs for their own residents.
- Propane between events: exchange empty tanks at hardware stores, or use the BlueRhino, Paraco or AmeriGas locators.
Mercer County drop-offs
- Hazardous waste and electronics days: the Mercer County Improvement Authority (MCIA) holds collection days at the Dempster Fire School, 350 Lawrence Station Road in Lawrence, on Saturdays 8am–2pm, a few times a year (the 2026 days were in March, June and September). They're for county residents with ID, and they take oil-based paint, propane tanks, gasoline, motor oil, car batteries, and electronics like TVs, computers and microwaves. Latex paint and tires aren't on the list. Check the MCIA's page or your town's public works page for the next date.
- Tires: the MCIA's residential tire recycling event runs on the first weekday of each month, 9am–5pm, at Tire Waste Management, 1698 5th Street in Ewing. It's for Mercer residents only (no businesses), with a limit of 4 tires per household, and you have to register first on the MCIA's tire page. Standard car and SUV tires off the rim are free; tires on the rim and light truck tires cost a small fee each.
- Hamilton residents: the township's Ecological Facility at 1360 Kuser Road (Monday–Saturday 8am–3:30pm, plus Wednesdays until 6:30pm from April through September) takes TVs, computers and other electronics, up to 6 non-commercial tires a week with the rims removed, car batteries and motor oil. It's free with Hamilton ID in a private vehicle. Public works will also pick up electronics at the curb if you call HamStat at 609-586-0311.
Burlington County drop-offs
- Hazardous waste: the county facility at 22000 Burlington-Columbus Road in Florence is open Tuesday–Friday 7am–3pm and Saturday 7am–noon. It's free for residents, no appointment is needed, and commercial and rental vehicles aren't accepted. It takes oil-based paint, motor oil and small fire extinguishers, but no compressed gas cylinders except 1-pound propane tanks. Dry out latex paint and put it in the trash.
- Grill-size propane tanks: the Resource Recovery Complex next door takes propane tanks for a fee per tank, and the fee is higher when they come in mixed with other waste. Everyone checks in at the Complex scalehouse first.
- Tires: the Complex's bulky materials area takes loads of tires kept apart from other waste, up to 4 tires per customer, for a fee per tire. The fee is higher with rims on and higher in a mixed load, and tires can't be landfilled there. The Complex is open Monday–Friday 7am–5pm and Saturday 7am–noon. Residents hauling waste from their own home in a passenger vehicle are fine; other vehicles need an NJDEP decal, and rentals aren't allowed.
- Electronics: the Convenience Center at the same address (same hours) takes TVs, monitors, computers, laptops, phones, game consoles, printers and copiers, and small appliances without compressors. No loose batteries or toner. The Complex sits on the Florence and Mansfield line, a short drive from Bordentown and Burlington.
Middlesex County drop-offs
- Paint drop-off days: free monthly drop-offs, 8am–noon, for county residents, taking latex and oil-based paint in labeled containers. They rotate by town: East Brunswick on the 1st Saturday, Old Bridge on the 2nd Saturday, Monroe on the 3rd Saturday, South Brunswick on the 4th Saturday and Sayreville on the 1st Friday, with other towns on the county's list.
- Tires: residents can bring up to 4 car or light truck tires per household per month (no businesses). Sites include the East Brunswick Recycling Center, 357 Dunhams Corner Road (Monday–Saturday 7:30am–3:30pm), and Sayreville's site at 3750 Bordentown Avenue (Monday and Friday 7:30am–1pm, plus the 1st and 3rd Saturday 7am–noon). Plainsboro's Conservation Center and Woodbridge Public Works also take them.
- Hazardous waste day: propane, gasoline and chemicals go to the county's household hazardous waste day. It doesn't take electronics, TVs or tires, or containers over 10 gallons. Check the county's recycling programs page for the next date.
- Electronics: the county points residents to their town's public works program, or to the NJDEP's list of free collection sites if the town has none. Monroe's Recycling Center at 76 Gravel Hill Spotswood Road (Monday–Friday 7am–2:45pm, Saturday 8am–11:30am) takes computers, TVs, printers and fax machines, motor oil, car batteries and 20-pound propane tanks from Monroe residents with proof of residency. It doesn't take tires or commercial vehicles.
Or we'll haul it for you
If the wet paint and propane are only a few items in a garage or basement full of junk, set those aside and we'll take the rest. Tires, TVs, computers and other electronics, and latex paint cans that have dried out solid, all go on the truck with everything else, and the tires and electronics go to licensed recyclers. We carry it all out from wherever it sits.
What we can't take: oil-based paint, latex paint that's still wet, stains and thinner, propane tanks of any size, gasoline and gas cans, motor oil and other chemicals. Those go to the county programs above. Our guide to what junk removal can't take covers the rest of the hazardous list.
Text a photo to (855) 655-7552 for one upfront price. Jobs start at our $250 minimum, and same-day and next-day openings are often available. See our garage cleanout, basement cleanout and appliance removal services, or the county pages for Monmouth, Ocean, Mercer and Burlington.
