Drop it off free
1 free paint drop-off site within 12 miles.
- Hardware HankPaint store3.2 mi
- Crookston Local Ace HardwarePaint store24 mi
- Polk County Transfer StationHazardous waste site24 mi
Grand Forks, ND Paint Disposal
Everything you need to get rid of leftover paint responsibly in Grand Forks.
NOW AVAILABLE IN GRAND FORKS
Paint recycling pickup. Book online.
Book a pickup $89 minimum · No next-day surcharge
All drop-off locations in and near Grand Forks3
Start with these
City of Grand Forks Public Works Facility (Sanitation; paint advice and chemical questions, not a paint drop-off)
724 N. 47th St., Grand Forks, ND 58203
- Accepts
- The city's household hazardous waste page lists used cooking oil, empty propane tanks and car or truck batteries as accepted at the Public Works Facility. It does not list paint. Its instructions are to dry paint and put it in household trash. For other household chemicals, the city says to box them up and call for instructions; it gives disposal advice case by case. Public Works is not taking used car oil right now because of a contamination problem.
- Who can use it
- Not stated for paint or chemical questions. The free electronics event held at this address on May 2, 2026 was for Grand Forks residents with proof of residency (ID or a utility bill).
- Hours
- Office hours for paint and chemical questions aren't published on the pages reviewed. Call 701-738-8740.
- Load limits
- No paint is taken here, so no paint limit is published.
- Fees
- Not published for the items above. A special pickup by request costs a $48 minimum plus $1 a minute (2026 rates).
North Dakota DEQ lists Grand Forks among its community household hazardous waste collections, but the city page it links to gives only drying steps for paint and a phone number for other chemicals. There is no paint drop-off day or site on the city's pages. Ask before you bring any chemical here.
City of Grand Forks: Household Hazardous Waste Disposal (paint drying steps, Public Works items) ↗City of Grand Forks: Public Works Sanitation (facility addresses, 701-738-8740) ↗City of Grand Forks: Spring Cleanup Week (2026 dates, paint and chemicals FAQ) ↗City of Grand Forks: 2026 Sanitation Rates (landfill, special waste, special pickup) ↗City of Grand Forks: Electronics Recycling Event (May 2, 2026) ↗North Dakota DEQ: Household Hazardous Waste (exemption, community collection list) ↗
City of Grand Forks Landfill (trash, bulky items; not a paint drop-off)
2701 N 69th St, Grand Forks, ND 58203
- Accepts
- Household trash and bulky items. Residents' free drop-off covers furniture, electronics, brush and wood, and appliances. Paint isn't on that list; the city's instructions send dried paint to household trash.
- Who can use it
- Free trips are for City of Grand Forks residents with a current driver's license or utility bill. Others pay posted rates.
- Hours
- Monday to Friday 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.; Saturday 8 to 11 a.m.; closed Sunday. During Spring Cleanup Week (May 11 to 15, 2026) the city listed extended hours of 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. on weekdays and 8 to 11:30 a.m. on Saturday.
- Load limits
- Free drop-off is limited to household quantities, up to 4 times a year.
- Fees
- 2026 rates: $23 minimum charge, $59.54 a ton for municipal solid waste (MSW), $68.47 a ton for special waste. Fees for tires and special waste apply even on free trips. Commercial or large loads pay a fee any time of year.
The city's page says the landfill is 1 mile north of Highway 2 on North 69th Street. It has a landfill waste profile form for special waste, but no page says whether paint is handled as special waste. Call 701-738-8740 before hauling paint or paint-soaked material.
1 PaintCare drop-off site within 12 miles of Grand Forks.
2 paint stores and 3 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.
Hardware Hank
3.2 mi1017 Central Ave NW, East Grand Forks, MN 56721
- Limits
- Limit: 5 gallons per visit.
Crookston Local Ace Hardware
24 mi1400 University Ave, Crookston, MN 56716
- Limits
- Limit: 5 gallons per visit.
Polk County Transfer Station
24 mi320 Ingersoll Ave, Crookston, MN 56716
- Who
- Households Only (No Businesses) in Polk County
- Hours
- Monday 7 am - 7 pm, Tuesday - Friday 7 am - 5:30 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.
Marshall County Demolition Landfill
28.3 mi27641 US Hwy 75, Warren, MN 56762
- Who
- Households Only (No Businesses) in Marshall County
- Hours
- May-October, Wednesdays, 8 am - 4:30 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
- Marshall County Households.
Red Lake County Household Hazardous Waste Facility
37.6 mi510 Jefferson Ave, Red Lake Falls, MN 56750
- Who
- Households Only (No Businesses) in Red Lake County
- Hours
- May-October: Monday-Thursday 7:30 am - 12 pm and 1 pm - 5:30 pm, Friday 8 am - 12 pm, 1st and 3rd Saturday 8 am - 11 am. November-April: Monday, Wednesday, Friday 8 am - 12 pm & 1 pm- 5 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.
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 Forks cleanout?4
A few half-empty cans of latex after painting
Take the lids off, stir in kitty litter or floor-dry, and let them dry completely. Bag the dried cans and set them out with your garbage on your collection day.
A full five-gallon bucket of paint
Pour it into a cardboard box lined with a plastic bag and mix in an absorbent. It may take a while to dry. Only bag it for the trash once it's dry all the way through.
Old thinner and cleaning chemicals in the basement
Thinner isn't paint, so the drying steps don't cover it. Box it up and call Public Works at 701-738-8740; the city gives disposal advice case by case.
A painting contractor with leftover job paint
North Dakota DEQ's household exemption covers waste made by people at a home, not business waste. Ask DEQ (701-328-5150) and Public Works (701-738-8740) before hauling; the landfill charges commercial loads.
Grand Forks rules and tips5
THE LOCAL ANSWER
Take the lid off, mix in kitty litter, floor-dry, sawdust or shredded newspaper, and let the paint dry completely; then bag the dried cans and put them in your Grand Forks garbage. For a full can, pour it into a plastic-lined cardboard box with absorbent and let it dry. For thinner and other chemicals, box them up and call Public Works at 701-738-8740 for instructions.
Grand Forks, North Dakota, has no paint drop-off. The city's Public Works department says to dry paint completely and put it in your household trash, and to call about other chemicals. North Dakota has no PaintCare program, so there is no PaintCare store drop-off network here.
Grand Forks treats paint as a trash item once it's dry
The city's page says dried paint can go in household trash and liquid paint must be dried first. Its steps don't separate latex from oil-based paint. The garbage rules repeat it: dry out cans of paint completely before disposal. Its Cleanup Week FAQ says dried, bagged cans can go in regular garbage any time of year.
Spray paint goes on cardboard first
For spray paint, the city says to spray it onto cardboard and, once it's dry, put it in your household trash.
Other chemicals are case by case
For household cleaning products or other chemicals, the city asks you to box them up and call 701-738-8740. It gives disposal advice case by case. Public Works takes used cooking oil, empty propane tanks and car batteries, but isn't taking used car oil right now.
The state lists Grand Forks, but there's no collection day
The sources conflict here. North Dakota DEQ's household hazardous waste page lists Grand Forks under community household hazardous waste collections. But the city page it links to has only drying steps for paint and a phone number for other chemicals, with no paint drop-off site or date. Go by the city's steps and call 701-738-8740 with questions.
Fargo's site names only Fargo, Cass County and Valley City
Fargo's household hazardous waste facility is free for Fargo and Cass County residents and also takes waste from Valley City residents. Grand Forks isn't on that list, so don't plan a trip there without asking first.
Free pickup programs and other options
North Dakota has no PaintCare program, and PaintCare's locator data has no Grand Forks listing. Across the river, PaintCare lists Hardware Hank at 1017 Central Ave NW in East Grand Forks, Minnesota, but its listing names households and businesses in Minnesota only, so don't assume a North Dakota household can use it. PaintCare also lists the Polk County Transfer Station in Crookston for Polk County, Minnesota households only. The Grand Forks Herald reported an East Grand Forks hazardous waste and electronics drop-off set for Oct. 12, 2024 at East Grand Forks Public Works, 1001 2nd St NE, where residents could bring paint. No later date was found, and the story doesn't say North Dakota residents could use it. North Dakota DEQ suggests using products up or sharing leftovers with neighbors, a business, charity or government agency. Businesses: DEQ's household exemption only covers waste made by people at a home, so paint from paid work isn't covered by it. DEQ's main number is 701-328-5150.
Getting your paint ready
Remove the lid. Stir in an absorbent such as kitty litter, floor-dry, sawdust or newspaper strips, and let it dry completely. For a full can, pour the paint into a cardboard box lined with a plastic bag, mix in the absorbent and let it dry. Bag the dried cans and put them out with your garbage. Bag your garbage before it goes in the container, and make sure the lid closes. Until then, North Dakota DEQ says to store products out of children's reach, keep them from freezing and away from heat, and keep the original label.
Full preparation checklist →Grand Forks questions5
How do I get rid of paint in Grand Forks, North Dakota?
Dry it completely with the lid off, using kitty litter, floor-dry, sawdust or newspaper to speed it up. Then bag the dried cans and put them in your household trash.
Is there a hazardous waste drop-off in Grand Forks?
Not for paint. The city's page gives drying steps for paint and asks you to box up other chemicals and call Public Works at 701-738-8740 for advice.
Can I bring paint to the Grand Forks landfill?
The city's free resident drop-off covers furniture, electronics, brush and wood, and appliances, not paint. Dried paint goes in your household trash. Call 701-738-8740 before hauling liquid paint anywhere.
Can I use Fargo's household hazardous waste facility?
Fargo's page says it serves residents of Fargo, Cass County and Valley City. Grand Forks isn't included.
Can I take paint to a store in East Grand Forks?
PaintCare lists Hardware Hank at 1017 Central Ave NW in East Grand Forks, but its listing names households and businesses in Minnesota only. No source says North Dakota residents can use it.
Sources and how we checked11
October 17, 2026: read the City of Grand Forks Household Hazardous Waste Disposal, Spring Cleanup Week, Garbage Collection, Landfill, 2026 Rates, Sanitation, and Electronics Recycling pages (the city site blocks automated downloads, so they were opened in a browser), North Dakota DEQ's household hazardous waste page, Fargo's HHW page, and a 2024 Grand Forks Herald item on East Grand Forks. PaintCare locator data: no North Dakota listing in Grand Forks; Minnesota listings 8576 (Hardware Hank, East Grand Forks, households and businesses in Minnesota) and 8669 (Polk County Transfer Station, Polk County households only) are cited as PaintCare-only facts. Conflict: DEQ lists Grand Forks among community household hazardous waste collections, but the linked city page offers no drop-off; the guide states this. The city's paint steps don't distinguish latex from oil-based paint, so the guide doesn't either. Unresolved: whether the landfill takes liquid paint as special waste, any business route at the city, and whether East Grand Forks has a 2026 drop-off (none found). No local reuse store with a paint policy was found.
Checked October 17, 2026 against these sources, not by phone. How we research.
City of Grand Forks: Household Hazardous Waste Disposal (paint drying steps, Public Works items) ↗City of Grand Forks: Spring Cleanup Week (2026 dates, paint and chemicals FAQ) ↗City of Grand Forks: Garbage Collection Information (dry paint cans before disposal) ↗City of Grand Forks: Landfill Information (hours, free resident drop-off) ↗City of Grand Forks: 2026 Sanitation Rates (landfill, special waste, special pickup) ↗City of Grand Forks: Public Works Sanitation (facility addresses, 701-738-8740) ↗City of Grand Forks: Electronics Recycling Event (May 2, 2026) ↗North Dakota DEQ: Household Hazardous Waste (exemption, community collection list) ↗City of Fargo: Household Hazardous Waste (who can use it) ↗Grand Forks Herald (Oct. 6, 2024): East Grand Forks fall clean-up week set for Oct. 7-11 ↗PaintCare drop-off site locator ↗
.jpg){kind=link}
.jpg){kind=link}