Drop it off free
3 free paint drop-off sites within 12 miles.
- Burggrafs Ace HardwarePaint store1 mi
- Sherwin-WilliamsPaint store2.5 mi
- Itasca County Transfer StationHazardous waste site6 mi
Grand Rapids, MN Paint Disposal
Everything you need to get rid of leftover paint responsibly in Grand Rapids.
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Book a pickup $89 minimum · No next-day surcharge
All drop-off locations in and near Grand Rapids6
Start with these
Itasca County Household Hazardous Waste room, Itasca County Transfer Station
29959 E Bass Lake Rd, Grand Rapids, MN 55744
- Accepts
- Household products labeled caution, warning, danger, poison, flammable, corrosive, toxic, contains acid, contains lye or contains petroleum distillates (county). PaintCare lists latex and oil-based paint, stain and varnish in containers up to 5 gallons, with no empty, leaking or unlabeled containers. Tell staff what you're bringing when you book.
- Who can use it
- Itasca County residents only. Businesses use Clean Shop, which the county calls a biannual business hazardous waste collection.
- Hours
- By appointment only. Itasca County says collection is usually twice a month on Wednesdays from April through October and once a month from November through March. PaintCare's listing says Thursdays, 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.: the 2nd and 4th Thursdays from April through October, and the 2nd and 3rd Thursdays from November through March. The two don't match, so call 218-327-2857 for the exact date.
- Load limits
- No limit on the county page. PaintCare lists 200 gallons per visit.
- Fees
- No extra charge for Itasca County residents; the county says the cost is in the Solid Waste Assessment Fee.
Don't just show up; staff are based at the courthouse and come out for booked appointments. The county's HHW page gives the town as Cohasset, and its transfer station page gives Grand Rapids; it's the same address on East Bass Lake Road. PaintCare also lists a reuse area here; the county page doesn't mention one.
Burggraf's Ace Hardware, Grand Rapids (PaintCare drop-off on US 169)
1115 US 169, Grand Rapids, MN 55744
- Accepts
- Labeled latex and oil-based house paint, stain and varnish in cans up to 5 gallons. No spray paint, leaking cans, unlabeled cans or empties.
- Who can use it
- Minnesota households and businesses (PaintCare).
- Hours
- During store hours, per PaintCare. Call ahead to check hours and that the store can take your amount.
- Load limits
- 5 gallons per visit (PaintCare).
- Fees
- Free (PaintCare).
PaintCare's list is the only source for this store's paint drop-off. PaintCare doesn't mention an appointment, so it can work between county collection days; call ahead first.
Sherwin-Williams, Grand Rapids (SE 29th St)
300 SE 29th St, Grand Rapids, MN 55744
- Accepts
- Labeled latex and oil-based house paint, stain and varnish in cans up to 5 gallons. No spray paint, leaking cans, unlabeled cans or empties.
- Who can use it
- Minnesota households and businesses (PaintCare).
- Hours
- During store hours, per PaintCare. Call ahead to check hours and that the store can take your amount.
- Load limits
- 5 gallons per visit (PaintCare).
- Fees
- Free (PaintCare).
PaintCare's list is the only source for this store's paint drop-off. With Burggraf's on US 169 you can drop 10 gallons in one trip.
3 PaintCare drop-off sites within 12 miles of Grand Rapids.
3 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.
Rules most stores here share
Who: Households and Businesses in Minnesota
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.
Burggrafs Ace Hardware
1 mi1115 US 169, Grand Rapids, MN 55744
- Limits
- Limit: 5 gallons per visit.
Sherwin-Williams
2.5 mi300 SE 29th St, Grand Rapids, MN 55744
- Limits
- Limit: 5 gallons per visit.
Itasca County Transfer Station
6 mi29959 E Bass Lake Rd, Grand Rapids, MN 55744
- Who
- Households Only (No Businesses) in Itasca County
- Hours
- By appointment only. November-March: 2nd and 3rd Thursday 11 am-2 pm. April-October: 2nd and 4th Thursday 11 am-2 pm.
- Limits
- Limit: 200 gallons per visit.
- Products
- This site accepts latex and oil-based house paint, stains and varnish in containers up to 5 gallons in size. This site also takes most other household hazardous waste -- contact the site for details and restrictions. Please do not bring empty, leaking or unlabeled containers.
- Notes
- Itasca County Households.
Burggrafs Ace Hardware
13.8 mi108 Main Ave E, Deer River, MN 56636
- Limits
- Limit: 5 gallons per visit.
Hibbing Transfer Station
28 mi3994 Landfill Rd, Hibbing, MN 55746
- Who
- Households and VSQG Businesses in St. Louis County
- Hours
- Saturdays, 8am - 1pm
- Limits
- Limit: 200 gallons per visit.
- Products
- This site accepts latex and oil-based house paint, stains and varnish in containers up to 5 gallons in size. This site also takes most other household hazardous waste -- contact the site for details and restrictions. Please do not bring empty, leaking or unlabeled containers. SOME BUSINESSES may use this program by appointment or on special days. Contact the program for details if your paint (or other hazardous waste) is from a business.
- Notes
- Once a year collection event for VSQG
From PaintCare’s drop-off map ↗, updated October 6, 2026. Hours and limits are PaintCare’s. Distances are straight-line, not driving.
Which option fits your Grand Rapids cleanout?4
A basement of paint, stain and old garden chemicals
Call 218-327-2857, list what you have, and book a slot at the transfer station's hazardous waste room. It's free for Itasca residents and takes the chemicals as well as the paint.
Three cans left after painting a cabin bedroom
You don't need the county appointment for this. PaintCare lists Burggraf's Ace on US 169 and Sherwin-Williams on SE 29th St at 5 gallons a visit; keep the labels on and call ahead.
You were going to put paint cans in the recycling bin
Don't. Itasca County's recycling sheet lists paint cans and aerosol cans as unacceptable. Take paint to a store or the hazardous waste room.
A painting contractor with 150 gallons
The county's household program isn't for businesses. Ask PaintCare for a free large-volume pickup, which starts at 100 gallons, or ask the county about Clean Shop.
Grand Rapids rules and tips5
THE LOCAL ANSWER
In Grand Rapids, Minnesota, call Itasca County Environmental Services at 218-327-2857 to book a household hazardous waste appointment at the county transfer station, 29959 E Bass Lake Rd. It's free for Itasca County residents. For a few cans, PaintCare lists Burggraf's Ace on US 169 and Sherwin-Williams on SE 29th St at 5 gallons per visit each.
This guide is for Grand Rapids, Minnesota, the Itasca County seat (not Grand Rapids, Michigan). Itasca County takes household paint and chemicals for free, by appointment only, in a hazardous waste room at its transfer station on East Bass Lake Road. Between collection days, PaintCare lists two Grand Rapids, MN stores that take up to 5 gallons each during store hours.
Book first; walk-ins aren't taken
Itasca County says appointments must be made in advance so staff know what's coming. Certified staff work out of the courthouse and come to the transfer station's hazardous waste room on collection days. Call 218-327-2857 for the next date.
Wednesday or Thursday? Ask
Itasca County's page says collection is usually twice a month on Wednesdays from April through October and once a month from November through March. PaintCare's listing says Thursdays, 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.: the 2nd and 4th Thursdays from April through October and the 2nd and 3rd from November through March. The sources disagree, so go by the date the county gives you when you book.
Grand Rapids address, Cohasset on some pages
The transfer station's page lists 29959 East Bass Lake Road, Grand Rapids. The hazardous waste and demolition landfill pages put the same site in Cohasset. It's one place. The transfer station is open Monday to Saturday 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. and until 7 p.m. on Wednesdays, but those are trash hours, not paint hours.
Two stores, 10 gallons in one trip
PaintCare lists Burggraf's Ace Hardware at 1115 US 169 and Sherwin-Williams at 300 SE 29th St. Each takes 5 gallons per visit of labeled latex or oil-based paint, stain and varnish, from homes or businesses. Neither takes spray cans. Burggraf's has a second PaintCare store in Deer River, at 108 Main Ave E.
Keep paint out of canister sites and recycling
The county's 13 canister sites, from Bigfork and Squaw Lake to Bovey, Nashwauk and Warba, take trash with prepaid coupons and recycling at no charge. The county lists household hazardous waste collection only at the transfer station. Its recycling sheet lists paint cans and aerosol cans as unacceptable in can recycling. In the city, Waste Management collects trash under an exclusive agreement; the city page doesn't mention paint.
Free pickup programs and other options
Burggraf's Ace Hardware in Deer River, 108 Main Ave E (218-246-8628), is on PaintCare's list at 5 gallons per visit. PaintCare lists St. Louis County's sites in Hibbing and Virginia for St. Louis County households and very small businesses, so they aren't an option for Itasca residents. Businesses go through Clean Shop, which the county calls a biannual business hazardous waste collection. For 100 gallons or more, ask PaintCare for a free large-volume pickup.
Getting your paint ready
Make a list of what you have before you call; the county wants to know the types of waste when you book. Keep labels on and lids tight. Pack cans upright so nothing tips on the drive out Bass Lake Road. Keep paint cans out of the recycling; the county's sheet lists them as unacceptable.
Full preparation checklist →Grand Rapids questions5
Where do I take old paint in Grand Rapids, MN?
Book an appointment with Itasca County at 218-327-2857 for its free hazardous waste room at the transfer station, 29959 E Bass Lake Rd. For up to 5 gallons, PaintCare lists Burggraf's Ace (1115 US 169) and Sherwin-Williams (300 SE 29th St); call ahead.
Do I need an appointment for Itasca County hazardous waste?
Yes. The county says appointments must be scheduled in advance.
Does it cost anything?
Not for Itasca County residents. The county says the cost is covered by the Solid Waste Assessment Fee.
I live in Cohasset, Deer River, Bovey or Bigfork. Can I use it?
Yes, if you live in Itasca County. The program is for Itasca County residents. Deer River also has a Burggraf's Ace on PaintCare's list for a few cans.
Can my business use the county's hazardous waste room?
No. The county says businesses must use Clean Shop, a biannual business hazardous waste collection. PaintCare lists the two Grand Rapids stores for businesses too, at up to 5 gallons of house paint a visit.
Sources and how we checked10
October 16, 2026 review; independent fact-check October 17, 2026. Read: Itasca County's household hazardous waste, transfer station, canister sites, fees and demolition landfill pages; its 2022 recycling sheet (PDF, read as text); the City of Grand Rapids, MN waste management page; PaintCare's Minnesota page and locator data. Conflict left open: the county says Wednesday collections (twice a month April to October, once a month November to March); PaintCare says the 2nd and 4th Thursdays April to October and the 2nd and 3rd Thursdays November to March, 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. The county page sets no gallon limit; PaintCare lists 200. The paint types and the reuse area come only from PaintCare. Store drop-offs rest only on PaintCare's list. We couldn't find Clean Shop dates or fees; a city utility page about it returned 403. No site was phoned or visited.
Checked October 16, 2026 against these sources, not by phone. How we research.
Itasca County: Household Hazardous Waste ↗Itasca County: Transfer Station ↗Itasca County: Outlying Canister Sites ↗Itasca County: Fees and coupon vendors ↗Itasca County: Demolition Landfill ↗Itasca County Recycling Program sheet (08/23/2022, PDF) ↗City of Grand Rapids, MN: Waste Management (garbage and recycling) ↗PaintCare drop-off site locator ↗PaintCare Minnesota ↗PaintCare free large-volume pickup (100+ gallons) ↗
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