Parker recycling event offers free paint and electronics drop-off

Old paint cans, dead laptops and other household clutter found a free exit in Parker as the Cherry Creek Valley Rotary Club of Parker held its 3rd Annual Recycling Event at Legend High School.

The public drop-off at 22219 Hilltop Road gave residents a place to bring materials regular trash service often will not take, especially paint and electronics. The Town of Parker listed the event as open to the public and free for paint and electronics recycling, while the Rotary club said all recycling was free for accepted items.

The club’s event listing directed drivers to the Legend High School north parking lot and told them to enter off Canterbury Parkway. Its posted hours ran from 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. for the recycling day, with the recycling event itself listed from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., giving households a full-day window to unload items directly from their vehicles.

What could go in was specific. The club’s earlier event page said it accepted latex paint, oil paint, stains and shellacs, lacquers, sealers, varnishes, urethanes and textured coatings. It also accepted cell phones, laptops, tablets, cordless power tool batteries, electric toothbrushes, vapes without tobacco inside, wireless headphones, wireless speakers, car key fob batteries, rechargeable vacuum cleaner batteries and other rechargeable devices with lithium-ion batteries.

Not everything made the cut. The club said aerosol paint, paint thinner, solvents and cleaning agents, and drywall mud or roof tar were not accepted. That rejection list shows the gap Parker residents still face when they try to clear out garages, basements and workshop shelves, where leftover chemicals and obsolete electronics can sit for years because disposal is inconvenient or expensive.

The recycling event has become part of the club’s annual rhythm. In a 2025 recap, the Cherry Creek Valley Rotary Club of Parker said each year it hosts the recycling event in Parker as a way to get rid of old paint, used electronics and other recyclable materials. The club, chartered in June 2006, also says it supports local grant recipients including Douglas County Christian Counseling, Qualified Listeners, Rosie’s Ranch and Santa For Seniors, along with Rotary projects such as eradicating polio, student recognition, monthly backpack support for recovery patients and a Tools for Techs program.

The event also reflected a broader local demand for practical disposal options in a fast-growing suburb where renovation waste and outdated electronics can pile up quickly. By pairing a school parking lot with a free, drive-through drop-off, the club offered Parker a one-day answer to a very ordinary problem: what to do with the items households cannot simply set at the curb.