Drop it off
Where Marquette residents can take paint:
- Marquette County Solid Waste Management Authority (Marquette County Landfill) household hazardous waste drop-off600 County Road NP, Marquette, MI 49855
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All drop-off locations in and near Marquette1
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Marquette County Solid Waste Management Authority (Marquette County Landfill) household hazardous waste drop-off
600 County Road NP, Marquette, MI 49855
- Accepts
- Oil-based paint and stain, plus flammable household chemicals (cleaners, adhesives, solvents), automotive oil and chemicals, bagged oil filters, car and household batteries, fire extinguishers, boxed fluorescent tubes, mercury items, sharps and lancets, pesticides and pool chemicals, and propane tanks up to 20 lb. The 2025 information sheet also lists artist’s paint, lead- or mercury-containing paint, asbestos-containing paint, varnishes, creosote and wood preservatives. Latex paint is not taken.
- Who can use it
- Marquette County residents only. Recycle906’s household hazardous waste page, checked October 17, 2026, says hazardous waste from businesses will not be accepted. Two 2025 news reports say otherwise: WLUC reported on February 19, 2025 that the authority’s board voted to start taking small amounts from very small businesses (such as oil-based paint and stain), and WZMQ reported on February 24, 2025 that business waste would be collected in June and October. The authority’s own pages don’t mention a business program. Businesses should call 906-249-4125 before bringing anything.
- Hours
- By appointment only, Monday–Friday, 7 a.m.–3 p.m. (the authority’s office and scale hours). Call ahead to book. The 2025 information sheet listed six evening collections at the landfill, 3–7 p.m., from May 1 to October 2, 2025, with none in winter; the authority’s events page lists no upcoming events. 2026 holiday closures: Veterans Day (November 11), Thanksgiving (November 26), Christmas Day (December 25) and New Year’s Day (January 1, 2027). It opens 7–11 a.m. only on the day after Thanksgiving, Christmas Eve and New Year’s Eve.
- Load limits
- No gallon limit is published. Not taken: latex paint, asbestos debris, e-waste, refrigerant appliances, smoke detectors, tires, unlabeled or unidentifiable materials, explosives, picric acid, dried ethers, radioactive material and non-household waste. Prescription drugs go to police drop boxes instead.
- Fees
- Free for Marquette County residents (the 2025 information sheet calls it a free service). The pages reviewed list no household hazardous waste charge for 2026.
This is the county landfill on County Road NP, off County Road 480, not a city site. The authority’s directions say to follow County Road NP 1.2 miles from County Road 480 and to watch for a narrow bridge, a 90-degree corner and garbage trucks. Box your containers, keep them labeled and don’t mix products; put a leaking can in a sealed clear plastic bag. The authority’s fee page says all loads must be covered with a tarp.
Recycle906 (MCSWMA): Household Hazardous Waste ↗MCSWMA: Household Hazardous Waste (Marquette County residents, by appointment only) ↗MCSWMA: 2025 Household Hazardous Waste Information Sheet (posted by Ely Township, PDF) ↗Recycle906 (MCSWMA): Location & Information (hours, holidays) ↗MCSWMA: 2026 Holiday Schedule (PDF) ↗MCSWMA: How to Get Here ↗WLUC (Feb. 19, 2025): MCSWMA to start accepting hazardous waste from small businesses ↗WZMQ (Feb. 24, 2025): Marquette County SWMA accepting hazardous waste (business collection months) ↗MCSWMA: Fees (all loads must be tarped) ↗
Which option fits your Marquette cleanout?4
Old oil-based stain and a gallon of latex
Split them. Book an appointment at 906-249-4125 and bring the stain to the landfill on County Road NP. Dry the latex at home on newspaper and put it in your green cart once it’s solid.
Clearing a basement in January
There are no winter collection days, but the weekday appointment still works. Call ahead, and avoid the holiday closures; on New Year’s Eve the landfill is open only 7–11 a.m. and it’s closed on New Year’s Day.
Unopened latex from a finished project
If it’s in the original can, less than three years old and not frozen or hardened, the authority suggests Marquette Wallpaper & Paint (906-228-8376). Don’t take it to the Habitat ReStore, which lists paint as an item it won’t take.
A contractor with leftover oil-based primer
The authority’s current page says no business hazardous waste. News reports from February 2025 said very small businesses would be able to bring waste in June and October. Call 906-249-4125 before loading up, and don’t bring it to a household appointment.
Marquette rules and tips5
THE LOCAL ANSWER
For oil-based paint, stain or varnish, call 906-249-4125 to book a free drop-off at the county landfill, 600 County Road NP, Monday–Friday 7 a.m.–3 p.m. Latex paint isn’t accepted: pour it onto newspaper, let it dry and put it in your trash, or give good cans away. Only Marquette County households can use the drop-off.
In Marquette, Michigan (Marquette County, in the Upper Peninsula), oil-based paint goes to the Marquette County Solid Waste Management Authority at the county landfill on County Road NP. It’s free for county residents, but only by appointment on weekdays. Latex paint isn’t taken there at all: the authority says to use it up, give it away or dry it and put it in the trash. Michigan has no PaintCare program, so there’s no network of PaintCare store drop-offs.
Latex has its own rule here
The authority’s hazardous waste page says latex paint is not hazardous and lists it under items it doesn’t take. Its advice: use it up, pour it onto newspaper to dry and throw it away with your regular trash, or donate it. The City of Marquette says your green garbage cart must be well drained of liquids and can’t hold hazardous materials, so make sure latex is fully dry before it goes in.
The authority sends good latex to a local paint store
The authority’s hazardous waste page says you can give usable latex to Marquette Wallpaper & Paint (906-228-8376) if it’s in its original can, less than three years old and in good condition, with no rust, freezing or hardening. That’s the authority’s referral; the store’s own rules and address weren’t published in the sources reviewed, so call first. It’s the only paint reuse option the authority lists.
Winter means appointments, not collection days
In 2025 the authority held six evening collections at the landfill, 3–7 p.m., from May 1 to October 2, and its info sheet said there are no collections in winter. Its events page shows no upcoming events. The weekday appointment, 7 a.m.–3 p.m., is the option all year, except on holidays: closed November 11, November 26 and December 25, and open only 7–11 a.m. on November 27, December 24 and December 31.
Don’t bring paint to the city’s Pioneer Road sites
The city’s Household Rubbish Site at 1415 Pioneer Rd. refuses liquid and hazardous waste, and its season closing is set for Wednesday, October 28. The Waste Management transfer station at 910 W. Baraga Ave. charges by weight for extra trash and isn’t listed for paint. For hazardous waste, the county landfill is the only place the authority lists.
The Habitat ReStore says no
Marquette County Habitat for Humanity’s ReStore, 133 Carmen Dr., lists paint, stain and chemicals of any kind among items it won’t take. Don’t plan on donating paint there, even sealed cans.
Free pickup programs and other options
Michigan has no PaintCare program, and PaintCare’s locator data has no listing in Marquette County. The authority is owned by the county’s municipalities; its municipalities list includes the cities of Ishpeming, Negaunee and Marquette and townships such as Chocolay, Marquette, Forsyth, Sands, Powell, Republic and Skandia. The drop-off is for Marquette County residents. Usable latex can go to Marquette Wallpaper & Paint under the authority’s conditions. Michigan EGLE also suggests giving usable paint and stain to parks, churches, arts groups, nonprofit housing groups, shelters or neighbors.
Getting your paint ready
Call 906-249-4125 to set an appointment first. Keep oil-based paint in its labeled original can and pack the cans in a box. Don’t mix products together. If a can is rusty or leaking, put it in a sealed clear plastic bag. Tarp the load if it’s in a pickup bed or trailer. Dry latex at home on newspaper or with an absorbent before it goes in your cart.
Full preparation checklist →Marquette questions5
Where can I take oil-based paint in Marquette?
To the Marquette County Solid Waste Management Authority at the county landfill, 600 County Road NP. It’s free for Marquette County residents, by appointment, Monday–Friday 7 a.m.–3 p.m. Call 906-249-4125.
Does the county landfill take latex paint?
No. Latex is on its not-accepted list. Dry it on newspaper and put it in your trash, or give usable cans to Marquette Wallpaper & Paint if they meet its conditions.
Are there drop-off days in winter?
No collection days. The 2025 info sheet said collections run May through October only, and none are listed now. You can still book a weekday appointment in winter.
Can my painting business drop off oil-based paint?
Recycle906’s page, checked October 17, 2026, says hazardous waste from businesses will not be accepted. In February 2025, local TV (WLUC on February 19, WZMQ on February 24) reported that the board voted to accept waste from very small businesses, collected in June and October. The authority’s pages don’t confirm this, so call 906-249-4125.
I live in Alger County. Can I use the Marquette drop-off?
No. Recycle906 says the drop-off is for Marquette County residents only. Michigan EGLE keeps a list of county contacts for collections elsewhere.
Sources and how we checked15
October 17, 2026: read Recycle906’s Household Hazardous Waste, Location & Information, Events and Chippewa County pages; mcswma.com’s home, Household Hazardous Waste, Fees (including its tarp rule), How to Get Here, Municipalities and Transfer Stations pages; the 2026 holiday schedule PDF; the 2025 HHW information sheet (posted by Ely Township); WLUC and WZMQ reports from February 2025; the City of Marquette garbage page; Marquette County Habitat for Humanity’s ReStore page; Michigan EGLE’s household hazardous waste disposal page; and PaintCare’s locator data (no Marquette County listing). No calls were made. Unresolved: no 2026 collection-day schedule is posted, so it’s unclear whether evening collections ran in 2026. The authority’s pages say no business waste, while 2025 news reports describe a very-small-business program collected in June and October. No gallon limit is published. The authority gives Marquette Wallpaper & Paint’s phone but not its address or current acceptance, so confirm with the store.
Checked October 17, 2026 against these sources, not by phone. How we research.
Recycle906 (MCSWMA): Household Hazardous Waste ↗MCSWMA: Household Hazardous Waste (Marquette County residents, by appointment only) ↗MCSWMA: 2025 Household Hazardous Waste Information Sheet (posted by Ely Township, PDF) ↗Recycle906 (MCSWMA): Location & Information (hours, holidays) ↗MCSWMA: 2026 Holiday Schedule (PDF) ↗Recycle906 (MCSWMA): Events ↗MCSWMA: How to Get Here ↗MCSWMA: Marquette County Municipalities ↗WLUC (Feb. 19, 2025): MCSWMA to start accepting hazardous waste from small businesses ↗MCSWMA: Fees (all loads must be tarped) ↗WZMQ (Feb. 24, 2025): Marquette County SWMA accepting hazardous waste (business collection months) ↗City of Marquette: Garbage, Recycling, Compost, Rubbish ↗Marquette County Habitat for Humanity: ReStore (items not accepted) ↗Michigan EGLE: where to take household hazardous waste (donation, county contacts) ↗PaintCare drop-off site locator ↗
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