Everything you need to get rid of leftover paint responsibly in Des Moines.
1105 Prairie Dr SW, Bondurant, IA 50035
Follow the white and green Hazardous Waste Drop-Off signs once you are on site. The free Swap Shop here, open the same hours, often has paint, stains and varnishes that others dropped off; you don't have to bring anything to take something. Stock changes daily.
4105 Beisser Dr, Grimes, IA 50111
Metro Waste Authority's page says the walk-in Saturday runs March through November. Dallas County's page and PaintCare's locator say March through December, and PaintCare's listing says you need proof of residency. Go by Metro Waste Authority, bring an ID with your address, and call 515-244-0021 before a December trip.
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.
1105 Prairie Dr, Bondurant, IA 50035
4105 Beisser Dr, Grimes, IA 50111
1800 W Iowa Ave, Indianola, IA 50125
202 E Main St, Saint Charles, IA 50240
2496 State Hwy 92, Winterset, IA 50273
From PaintCare’s drop-off map ↗, updated October 6, 2026. Hours and limits are PaintCare’s. Distances are straight-line, not driving.
Skip the drive. Stir in an equal amount of kitty litter, let it sit an hour or two, and put the cans out with your trash, lids off. If you'd rather drop them off, Bondurant charges $1 per gallon can.
Sort oil-based paint, stain and thinners from latex. Bring the hazardous items to Bondurant Tuesday–Saturday. Keep the free items near 75 pounds per trip, since anything over costs $1 a pound, and budget $1 for each gallon of latex.
Houseside pickup isn't for apartments or condos, so you'll need a ride to Bondurant or a Grimes appointment. Ask the Grimes site about a second-Saturday walk-in (March–November, 8–noon).
Check the Swap Shop at Bondurant first. It gives away paint, stains and varnishes that others dropped off, Tuesday–Friday 10–6 and Saturday 8–noon. Stock changes daily.
Take oil-based paint to Metro Waste Authority's drop-off at 1105 Prairie Dr. SW in Bondurant, Tuesday–Friday 10–6 or Saturday 8–noon; it's free up to 75 pounds. Latex costs $1 a gallon there, or dry it with kitty litter and put it in the trash with the lid off.
Iowa has no paint recycling program, so in Des Moines and the rest of Polk County, Metro Waste Authority handles leftover paint. Its main hazardous waste drop-off is in Bondurant, east of the city, and it has a smaller appointment site in Grimes. Oil-based paint is free there up to 75 pounds. Latex costs $1 a gallon, or you can dry it and put it in the trash.
Since Jan. 1, 2026, the Metro Hazardous Waste Drop-Off at 1105 Prairie Dr. SW in Bondurant is open Tuesday–Friday 10–6 and every Saturday 8–noon. It's closed Sundays, Mondays and major holidays. Follow the white and green signs once you're on site.
Metro Waste Authority takes latex for $1 per gallon can. It also says latex isn't hazardous, so you can harden it and throw it out. Pour small amounts onto layers of newspaper. For more, stir in an equal amount of kitty litter, wait an hour or two, and set the can out with the lid off.
Oil-based paint, stain and varnish are free, but everything free is weighed together. Past 75 pounds you pay $1 a pound. A big garage cleanout can cross that fast, so split it over two trips if you want to stay free.
The Metro Northwest Transfer Station, 4105 Beisser Dr. in Grimes, takes hazardous waste by appointment (515-244-0021). On the second Saturday of each month from March through November you can just show up 8–noon. Staff there can't pour off liquids, and it takes no electronics or tires.
Des Moines took oil-based paint (never latex) at its 2026 MEGA SCRUB events: April 18, May 16, June 20 and Sept. 19, the last one of the year. The SCRUB days left in 2026 at the Delaware Avenue transfer station and Harriet Street compost site are for trash and yard debris, not hazardous waste.
There's no free store take-back in Iowa because PaintCare doesn't run here. If you can't leave home, Metro Waste Authority's houseside pickup costs $25: you get a 12-gallon bin, fill it, call 515-244-0021, and set it at your front door or in front of your garage by 8 a.m. on pickup day (not at the curb). It's for homes that get Curb It! recycling and townhomes with private driveways in member cities like Des Moines; apartment and condo residents use Bondurant or Grimes. Usable paint can also go to a neighbor, or pick some up free at Bondurant's Swap Shop.
Check each label: “alkyd,” “oil-based” or thinner cleanup means hazardous; “latex” or water cleanup means you can dry it. Keep lids tight and cans upright in a box. Count your latex gallons for the $1 fee, and keep the free load under 75 pounds.
Full preparation checklist →Not liquid paint. The city sends oil-based paint to the Bondurant drop-off. Metro Waste Authority says latex can go in the trash once it's solid, with the lid off.
Oil-based paint is free up to 75 pounds of free items, then $1 a pound. Latex is $1 per gallon can.
Not from the city this year. The last 2026 MEGA SCRUB with hazardous waste was Sept. 19. Bondurant is open year-round, Tuesday through Saturday.
Yes, for $25 per pickup, if your home gets Curb It! recycling or you live in a townhome with a private driveway in a member city such as Des Moines, Ankeny, Urbandale or West Des Moines. Request it online or call 515-244-0021.
To Bondurant through Metro Waste Authority's business program, by appointment (515-967-5512). You qualify if you make under 220 pounds of hazardous waste a month. You register once a year, staff unload for you, and you pay for what you bring; ask for a price when you book.
October 12, 2026: read Metro Waste Authority's hazardous waste, rates and accepted items, Bondurant location, residential (Grimes), houseside, Swap Shop, business and Jan. 1, 2026 expanded-hours pages, its 2026 holiday hours sheet, and its leftover paint article (first posted in 2018, updated Aug. 10, 2026; its drying steps match Iowa DNR's fact sheet and its $1 latex fee matches the current rates page). Also read the City of Des Moines garbage, SCRUB calendar and SCRUB guidelines pages, Dallas County's hazardous waste page and Iowa DNR's latex fact sheet. The city garbage page lists oil-based paint as hazardous waste for Bondurant but doesn't mention latex; the drying steps come from Metro Waste Authority and Iowa DNR. Metro Waste Authority's pages give no residency or ID rule for the Bondurant drop-off. For Grimes, Metro Waste Authority says the walk-in Saturday runs March–November, while Dallas County and PaintCare's locator say March–December, and PaintCare's listing asks for proof of residency (we followed Metro Waste Authority). Habitat ReStore paint policies: no current official page found. All 2026 MEGA SCRUB dates are past.
Checked October 12, 2026 against these sources, not by phone. How we research.
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