Everything you need to get rid of leftover paint responsibly in Cedar Rapids.
1954 County Home Rd, Marion, IA 52302
Stop at the scale first, then drive into the Resource Recovery building. Staff can't unload for you, so you put items on a cart yourself. The Free Paint, Cleaners, Etc. room in the same building gives away usable products dropped off by Linn County residents, weekdays 7–4; its list includes latex paint, oil-based paint and stains. Park in the lot, not in front of its door. Iowa DNR and PaintCare list the phone as 319-777-2598; the agency's own site gives 319-377-5290.
Your state doesn’t have a PaintCare program, so stores here don’t take paint for free. These are the public drop-off programs PaintCare’s map lists, closest first. Most only serve their own residents and some charge a fee. Call before you go.
1954 County Home Rd, Marion, IA 52302
3369 Highway 6 Trl, Homestead, IA 52236
3900 Hebl Ave SW, Iowa City, IA 52246
7904 20th Ave, Blairstown, IA 52209
13859 Edinburg Rd, Scotch Grove, IA 52310
From PaintCare’s drop-off map ↗, updated October 6, 2026. Hours and limits are PaintCare’s. Distances are straight-line, not driving.
It's more than a quarter full, so stir in cat litter, oil dry or sawdust, let it harden somewhere dry and well-ventilated, and put it in the garbage with the lid off.
Bring both to County Home Road any weekday 7–4. Stop at the scale, drive into the Resource Recovery building, and unload them onto the cart yourself.
Book a Saturday slot on the agency's scheduling page before the weekend. Nobody answers the phone on Saturday.
If you make under 220 pounds of hazardous waste a month, get the very small business packet from the agency and make an appointment. Fees come from its price sheet.
Dry latex paint with cat litter or sawdust and put it in your garbage with the lid off. Take oil-based paint, stain and thinner to the free Linn County drop-off at 1954 County Home Rd. in Marion, Monday–Friday 7–4, no appointment.
In Cedar Rapids, Iowa, paint goes one of two ways. Oil-based paint goes free to the Cedar Rapids Linn County Solid Waste Agency's hazardous materials drop-off on County Home Road in Marion, weekdays with no appointment. Latex paint isn't on that site's list. The agency and the city both say dried latex can go in the trash.
The drop-off is inside the Resource Recovery building at 1954 County Home Rd. in Marion, open Monday–Friday 7 a.m.–4 p.m. Stop at the scale first, then drive inside. It's free for Linn County residents.
Saturday visits are by appointment only, and you book them on the agency's scheduling page. The phone line isn't answered on Saturdays, so set it up during the week.
Staff aren't allowed to take things out of your car or trailer. You set your cans on a cart, and staff take it from there. Pack the trunk so you can reach everything.
Take the lid off and let it dry somewhere dry and well-ventilated. If the can is a quarter full or more, stir in cat litter, oil dry, sawdust or shredded paper first. Put the dry can in the garbage with the lid off so the hauler can see there's no liquid. Never put wet paint, or a can with the lid on, in the trash.
Usable paint and cleaners that Linn County residents drop off are checked by staff and set out in the Free Paint, Cleaners, Etc. room, weekdays 7–4. Its list includes latex and oil-based paint, stains and thinners, but stock changes daily. Park in the lot, not in front of the door.
Iowa has no PaintCare program, so stores don't take paint back for free. Good latex can go to a neighbor or a volunteer group, which the City of Cedar Rapids suggests; otherwise dry it at home. The city also says never to pour paint down a drain or into a street or storm drain. Businesses with less than 220 pounds of hazardous waste a month can use the agency's very small business program by appointment.
Keep oil-based paint, stain and thinner in their original, labeled cans with lids on. Box them so you can lift them onto the cart yourself. For latex, start drying ahead of trash day and add litter to cans a quarter full or more.
Full preparation checklist →Only dried latex, with the lid off. Wet latex and oil-based paint can't go in the garbage.
Latex isn't on the agency's accepted list, and its page says to dry latex and put it in the garbage. PaintCare's listing for the site also says it doesn't take latex. If you want to bring liquid latex anyway, call 319-377-5290 first.
Yes, for Linn County residents. Businesses pay through the very small business program.
Not on weekdays, 7 a.m.–4 p.m. Saturdays are by appointment only, booked online.
319-377-5290, on weekdays. It's the number on both the agency's site and the City of Cedar Rapids paint page. Iowa DNR and PaintCare list 319-777-2598 instead.
October 12, 2026: read the Solid Waste Agency's hazardous materials, residential, Free Paint room, business and appointment pages, the City of Cedar Rapids paint page, Iowa DNR's latex fact sheet and regional collection center page, and PaintCare's locator entry (non-program site). Latex isn't on the agency's accepted list, and PaintCare's listing says no latex; the agency says dried latex can go in the garbage. The city page doesn't single out latex: it says dried latex can go in the trash and leftover paint can be recycled at a household hazardous waste facility. The Free Paint room's list includes latex paint, so we tell readers to call before bringing liquid latex. An older Iowa DNR listing said the site took latex; we followed the current agency page. Iowa DNR and PaintCare list the phone as 319-777-2598, but the agency and city both give 319-377-5290. Iowa DNR's table also names this site for Jones County and unincorporated Washington County, which the agency's pages don't mention. The agency's two pages give different storage caps for small businesses (1,000 vs 2,200 pounds); ask before registering. No holiday closures are posted. We found no current official paint policy for the Cedar Valley Habitat ReStore. No 2026 collection events for Linn County were found.
Checked October 12, 2026 against these sources, not by phone. How we research.
