Everything you need to get rid of leftover paint responsibly in Kalamazoo.
1301 Lamont Ave, Kalamazoo, MI 49048
The center is on the northwest corner of the Kalamazoo County Fairgrounds, on the same street as the Sheriff's Office. The county page shows ZIP 49048 in one place and 49007 in another. Staff can usually hand your boxes back.
3432 Gembrit Circle, Kalamazoo, MI 49001
Not a hazardous waste site. The city's sources disagree: the drop-off day page lists dried latex and building materials as accepted, but the bulk trash page and newsletter say the same rules as curbside apply, and curbside bulk takes no paint cans or construction materials. You don't need it for a few dried cans; those go in your regular trash.
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.
1301 Lamont Ave, Kalamazoo, MI 49048
1350 Capital Ave NE, Battle Creek, MI 49017
250 South St, Lawrence, MI 49064
316 E Charlotte St, Centreville, MI 49032
3255 122nd Ave Ste 200, Allegan, MI 49010
From PaintCare’s drop-off map ↗, updated October 6, 2026. Hours and limits are PaintCare’s. Distances are straight-line, not driving.
Go on a Wednesday; it's the only day open until 6 p.m. Skip Wednesday, November 11 (Veterans Day). The second-Saturday morning hours are the other option outside work hours.
St. Joseph and Berrien county residents use the center free. Most of Van Buren County is not covered: only Almena Township is free, and Antwerp Township's free funding ran out October 1, 2026. Others pay a fee plus disposal; call 269-383-8742 for the price.
That's latex if the label says it cleans up with soap and water. Pour it into a plastic-lined box, stir in the same amount of cat litter, and let it harden. Then it goes in your regular trash.
You can use the center as a very small business, but only with an appointment, the county's VSQG registration and inventory forms on file, and payment at drop-off. Call 269-383-8742.
Take oil-based paint, stain and thinner to the Kalamazoo County Household Hazardous Waste Center, 1301 Lamont Ave., Tuesday or Friday 8 a.m.–1 p.m. or Wednesday noon–6 p.m.; it's free for county residents and needs no appointment. The center doesn't take latex. Dry latex with cat litter and put it in the trash with the lid off.
Kalamazoo, Michigan, has a year-round Household Hazardous Waste Center at 1301 Lamont Ave. on the Kalamazoo County Fairgrounds. It takes oil-based paint, stain and thinner free from county residents three weekdays a week, and households don't need an appointment. It does not take latex paint; Kalamazoo County says to dry latex and put it in the trash.
The center is open Tuesday and Friday 8 a.m.–1 p.m., Wednesday noon–6 p.m., and the second Saturday of the month 8 a.m.–noon. There are no Saturday hours in August and September. Wednesday afternoon is the only after-work option.
The county lists these 2026 closures still ahead: November 3 (Election Day), November 11 (Veterans Day), November 26–27, December 24–25 and December 31. Call 269-383-8742 for the recording on snowy or stormy days.
Residents of Kalamazoo County (except Climax Township), Barry, Berrien and St. Joseph counties, and Almena Township use it free. The county says Antwerp Township's funding ran out as of October 1, 2026, so Antwerp residents can pay or wait until January 2027, when funding is expected back. Everyone else, including most of Van Buren County and all of Calhoun County, pays a fee plus disposal.
Under half a can: stir cat litter to the bottom and let it sit overnight until it's a hard, crumbly rock, then put the can in the garbage with the lid off. Half a can or more: pour it into a box lined with a thick plastic bag, add an equal amount of litter, let it harden, and throw out the bag.
Kalamazoo County's test: 'Caution: Combustible', 'alkyd' or mineral spirits mean oil-based, so bring it in. 'Cleans up with soap and water' or water in the ingredients means latex, so dry it at home.
The City of Kalamazoo says dried latex goes in your regular trash with the lid off, and other paints and stains go to the county center. Paint cans and liquids are not picked up with quarterly curbside bulk trash. The city's free Bulk Trash Drop-Off Days at Republic Services, 3432 Gembrit Circle, are over for 2026 (the last was October 3). Its event page listed dried latex, but its newsletter says curbside rules apply there, and those exclude paint cans. Unlike Kent County's SafeChem in Grand Rapids, Kalamazoo's center has a fee-based option for non-residents and a paid appointment program for very small businesses. Michigan has no PaintCare program, so stores don't take paint back free.
Bring oil paint in containers of 5 gallons or less, upright with tight lids, packed in a box, crate or tote. Don't use garbage bags; they tip and leak. Put leaking cans inside a 5-gallon bucket. Staff can usually give your boxes back.
Full preparation checklist →No. The county says to dry it with cat litter and put it in the garbage with the lid off.
Not as a household. Come during open hours. The county asks businesses, schools, places of worship and nonprofits to book and file forms first.
Yes. Portage is in Kalamazoo County, and the only county community left out of the free service is Climax Township.
No. The city's bulk pickup does not take paint cans or containers of liquid. Dried latex goes in your regular trash.
On the second Saturday of most months, 8 a.m. to noon. There are no Saturday hours in August and September.
October 13, 2026 (peer review): Kalamazoo County's and the City of Kalamazoo's sites block automated readers, so all pages were read in a browser and the PDFs were read in the page with a PDF text reader. The county HHW page gives the hours, the 2026 closure list, free areas (including Barry County, which PaintCare's listing leaves out), the Antwerp Township note (funding exhausted as of October 1, 2026; pay or wait until January 2027) and the business rules. The latex page gives the drying steps; the transport page gives the 5-gallon limit; the 2026 accepted-items flyer lists oil-based paint and stains, thinner and varnish. The city's drop-off day page (2026 dates all past) lists dried latex, but its bulk trash page and the Fall/Winter 2026 View from the Curb newsletter say drop-off days follow curbside rules, which exclude paint cans; the newsletter says dried latex goes in regular trash with the lid off. Not resolved: the county page lists ZIP 49048 and 49007; the fee for non-participating areas is not published; whether the Kalamazoo Valley Habitat ReStore in Portage takes paint was not found. Second-Saturday dates are given as the county's rule only.
Checked October 13, 2026 against these sources, not by phone. How we research.
