Minimum charge
From $199
Covers the callout, the load and the drop-off for a small quantity: the shelf in the garage, or what is left over after one repaint.
Paint and paint tin disposal
Old paint is the one thing your bin will not take
Half-used tins stack up in every garage, shed and painter's yard in Sydney. Councils will not take them in the kerbside bin, and liquid paint is not accepted at landfill. OTG collects paint and paint tins right across Sydney and gets them to a facility set up to handle them.
Most people find out the hard way. The bin crew leaves the tin sitting on the kerb, or the ute gets turned around at the weighbridge. Paint is treated as household hazardous waste in New South Wales, so water-based, oil-based, primers, stains and varnishes all have to be kept out of general rubbish and dropped at somewhere licensed to take them.
We do the sorting and the drop-off. You point at the pile and we load it.
- part-full and empty tins, water-based and oil-based
- primers, undercoats, sealers, stains and varnishes
- decking oil, timber treatments and paint stripper in original tins
- spray cans, rollers, trays, brushes and dried-out drop sheets
- a single shelf, a whole garage corner, or a painter's yard clear-out
What a paint pickup costs
Paint is a minimum-charge job, not a per-tin price. It takes a truck, a trip and a licensed drop-off whether we collect five tins or fifty, so we would rather tell you where pricing starts before you pick up the phone.
Typical clear-out
$199 to $399
Where most jobs land. A garage corner, a shed, or the leftovers from a full-house repaint, including empties, spray cans and painting gear.
Trade and site loads
Priced on site
Painters' yards, strata repaints, shopfits and drum quantities. We look at the volume and give you a fixed number before anything moves.
Price moves on volume and access more than anything else: how much there is, how far it has to be carried, and whether there are stairs or a lift between the paint and the truck. Send a photo when you enquire and we can usually give you the number over the phone.
Only got a tin or two? A paid pickup is not worth your money. Have a read of the last section before you book.
What we take, and what needs a specialist
Paint we take
- water-based and oil-based house paint, part-full or dried solid
- primers, undercoats, sealers and clear finishes
- stains, varnishes, decking oil and timber treatments
- aerosol and spray paint cans
- empty tins, rollers, trays, brushes, drop sheets and masking
What we cannot take
- industrial solvents and thinners in bulk drums
- unlabelled containers where nobody is sure what is inside
- pool chemicals, pesticides and fuels
- asbestos, or anything off a site where asbestos is suspected
If you are not sure what a container holds, leave the lid on it and mention it when you call. We would much rather sort that out on the phone than turn up and have to leave something behind.
OTG does not remove asbestos. If asbestos turns up on your job, it has to be handled by a licensed asbestos removalist, and we are happy to refer you to one we work with. Once that side is cleared properly, we will come and take everything else away.
How a paint pickup runs
1
Tell us what is there
Call, text or send the form with a rough count and a photo of the pile. Nine times out of ten that is enough for us to price it without a site visit.
2
We book a window
Same day where we can fit it in, otherwise a time that suits the site or the tenant. Nothing needs to be dragged out to the kerb first.
3
We load it and take it away
We carry it out, sweep up behind ourselves, and deliver the load to a facility licensed to take paint and household hazardous waste.
- North Shore
- Northern Beaches
- Eastern Suburbs
- Inner West
- Hills District
- St George and Sutherland
Painters, strata managers and shopfit crews
A working painter accumulates paint faster than anyone. Tins come back from every job half full, colours get discontinued, and the yard fills with product nobody will ever use. We clear painters' yards and lock-ups on a one-off or regular basis so the space stays usable and the stock does not turn into a fire and safety problem.
Strata is the other common call. A block gets repainted, the contractor leaves the touch-up tins in a common-area cupboard, and five years later the building manager is looking at forty tins of paint that nobody can legally put in the bins. We can clear it in one visit and invoice the strata manager or the building directly.
For shopfits and site work we can also take the rest of the load in the same trip: packaging, offcuts, fittings and general building waste. See commercial rubbish removal for how we handle ongoing business pickups, or construction rubbish removal if the paint is coming off a build.
Only got one or two tins?
Then you probably do not need to pay anyone.
Most Sydney councils run a Community Recycling Centre that accepts small household quantities of paint at no cost, and Paintback drop-off points around the city take limited volumes of accepted paint products. Both set a limit per visit, and both expect you to get it there yourself, so check your council's website for opening hours and what they will accept before you load the car.
Where a paid pickup makes sense is volume, access and time. The shed nobody has opened in ten years. The yard behind a painting business. The strata cupboard with forty tins in it. The deceased estate where the family is flying home on Sunday. Or simply the job where somebody needs it gone today and does not own a ute.
If that sounds like your situation, tell us what is there and we will give you a price. If it does not, we will happily point you at the nearest drop-off instead.
Paint disposal questions we get asked
Will you take tins that have dried out or rusted?
Yes. Dried, skinned-over and rusted tins are the most common thing we collect. They still need to be handled as paint waste rather than scrap metal, which is exactly why they cannot go in the kerbside bin.
Do I have to separate water-based from oil-based first?
No. Leave the lids on, leave the labels alone, and we will sort the load ourselves. If a tin has lost its label and you know what was in it, a note on the lid helps.
Can you take paint along with other rubbish in the same trip?
Yes, and it usually works out cheaper that way. Most paint jobs come out of a bigger clear-out, so we price the whole load once. Have a look at garage cleanups or shed clearouts if that is where the tins are sitting.
How quickly can you get to me?
Often the same day, depending on where you are and what the run looks like. Call or text 0429 222 344 and we will tell you straight away rather than booking you in and hoping.
Can you invoice a business or a strata manager?
Yes. We invoice trade, strata and commercial clients, and we can provide our insurance details and a safe work method statement for site access if your building requires them.
