Everything you need to get rid of leftover paint responsibly in Burlington.
13758 Washington Rd, West Burlington, IA 52655
Every load coming into the landfill must be tarped or tied down, or you pay $10 (more for repeat offenses). Spray paint: the center asks you to bring aerosol cans, full or empty, for free disposal.
2 paint stores and 2 hazardous waste sites, closest first. Paint stores take house paint, stain and varnish, usually up to a set amount per visit. Hazardous waste sites also take chemicals like thinner, but some only serve local residents. Call before you go.
Who: Households and Businesses in Illinois
Hours: Paint is accepted during regular business hours. Call ahead for hours and to make sure the store can accept the amount and type of paint you would like to recycle.
Products: This site accepts latex and oil-based house paint, stains and varnish in containers up to 5 gallons in size. This site does not accept aerosols (spray paint or other spray products), containers without original labels, or containers that are leaking or empty.
Each listing below shows only what’s different, plus its limit.
13758 Washington Rd, West Burlington, IA 52655
2092 303rd Ave, Fort Madison, IA 52627
701 E Jackson St, Macomb, IL 61455
2300 E Jackson St, Macomb, IL 61455
From PaintCare’s drop-off map ↗, updated October 6, 2026. Hours and limits are PaintCare’s. Distances are straight-line, not driving.
Pull the lids and leave them off. If there's still liquid, stir in sawdust or cat litter. Set the open cans in or next to your city cart so the driver can see they're dry.
Call 319-753-8758 for a time at the HazChem Center. Oil-based paint and aerosols are free for households, and chemicals are free up to 120 pounds. Cover your load before you drive into the landfill.
If a can has at least half a gallon, ask when you book whether the swap shop can use it. Or give nearly full cans to a community theater or shelter, as the city suggests.
Iowa DNR sends Lee County and rural Henry County to the Great River Regional Waste Authority at 2092 303rd Ave., Fort Madison. Call 319-372-6140 to book there instead.
Call 319-753-8758 for an appointment, then take oil-based paint to the HazChem Center at 13758 Washington Rd., West Burlington; it's free for households. Latex paint costs extra there; you can instead dry it and put it in the city cart with the lid off.
In Burlington, Iowa (Des Moines County), oil-based paint goes to the HazChem Center of Southeast Iowa at the DMC Regional Landfill, 13758 Washington Rd. in West Burlington. It's free for households, but you must call 319-753-8758 for an appointment. Latex paint is taken there for a fee, or you can dry it and put it in your city trash cart. Iowa has no PaintCare program, so there's no store take-back program for paint.
The HazChem Center has no set hours. The city says an appointment is always needed, so call 319-753-8758 first. The landfill around it is open weekdays 8–4 and Saturday 8–noon, but paint still needs a booked time.
City trash crews will take a latex paint can only if the lid is off and the driver can see it's empty or dry. Leaving the lid off dries it; sawdust, cat litter or oil-dry speeds it up. Crews only take a can they can see into.
The city says cans with at least half a gallon left may be taken for the HazChem Center's swap shop. It also suggests giving nearly full cans to groups like a community theater or a shelter.
The city says you can spray a small can out on cardboard and throw both away. But the HazChem Center asks residents to bring aerosol cans of any kind, full or empty, for free disposal. Add them to your appointment.
It serves all of Des Moines County, including West Burlington, Mediapolis, Danville and Middletown, plus Mt. Pleasant, New London, Morning Sun, Salem, Rome, Westwood and Winfield. Iowa DNR sends rural Henry County and all of Lee County, including Fort Madison, to the Great River Regional Waste Authority in Fort Madison (319-372-6140).
Dry latex paint at home and put it in your city cart with the lid off. Burlington's bulky item pickup won't take hazardous waste. Across the river, PaintCare lists Illinois stores in Macomb and Galesburg for Illinois households and businesses. Contractors and businesses can't use the HazChem Center, per PaintCare's listing; they should hire a licensed hazardous waste company. Unlike the Iowa City guide's drive-up hours, Burlington works by appointment only.
Call 319-753-8758 and say what you have. Keep oil-based paint in its original cans with tight lids. Keep household chemicals under 120 pounds. Tarp or tie down your load to avoid the $10 landfill charge. The landfill takes only cash, check or a landfill charge account. Ask how to pay the latex fee when you book.
Full preparation checklist →To the HazChem Center, 13758 Washington Rd., West Burlington, by appointment. Call 319-753-8758.
No. The HazChem Center takes unused oil-based paint from households free. Latex paint has a fee; the amount isn't posted.
Only latex cans that are empty or dried out, with the lid off so the driver can see. Liquid paint is not picked up.
Yes. Mt. Pleasant, New London, Salem, Rome, Westwood and Winfield are on its list. Rural Henry County residents use the Fort Madison center instead.
Not with paint. The city says an appointment is always needed for hazardous waste. Only TVs can be dropped off without one.
October 16, 2026: read the Des Moines County Regional Solid Waste Commission's HazChem Center, HazChem FAQ, About Us, DMC Landfill and Area Recyclers pages and its 2026–27 landfill rate sheet; the City of Burlington's Solid Waste, Household Hazardous Waste, Bulky Item and FAQ pages; Iowa DNR's Regional Collection Center list and latex fact sheet; and PaintCare's listings near Burlington. Unresolved: the latex fee amount is not posted anywhere we found (the rate sheet doesn't list it). No paint gallon limit is posted; the 120-pound figure is for basic household chemicals. 'Households only, no businesses' comes from PaintCare's listing; the commission's own pages don't address business waste. Iowa DNR's list writes the address as 'Washington Rd. W, Burlington'; the commission uses West Burlington. The swap shop rule comes from the city's FAQ; the commission's pages don't describe the swap shop. Illinois PaintCare stores are listed for Illinois customers; we found nothing saying Iowa residents can use them.
Checked October 16, 2026 against these sources, not by phone. How we research.
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