Drop it off
Where Williston residents can take paint:
- City of Williston Landfill5176 134th Avenue NW, Williston, ND 58801
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All drop-off locations in and near Williston1
Start with these
City of Williston Landfill
5176 134th Avenue NW, Williston, ND 58801
- Accepts
- Paint cans in household trash (MSW), but only after the paint is solidified and dried out. The landfill also takes lead-acid and lithium batteries in a separate battery area.
- Who can use it
- Residents and businesses can haul trash here (separate residential and commercial rates). The city lists no household hazardous waste program, and none was found in the sources reviewed.
- Hours
- Same hours in summer and winter: Monday–Friday 8 a.m.–4:30 p.m., Saturday 8–11:30 a.m. The city’s landfill policy says the landfill closes when sustained winds reach 25 mph, gusts reach 35 mph or a High Wind Advisory is issued; at 16–24 mph it takes no light loads (loose debris, cardboard, plastics). In mud it may allow only four-wheel-drive vehicles and no trailers, or close.
- Load limits
- Liquid paint is not allowed. Hazardous materials that are ignitable, including solvents, paints and fuels, are not allowed, and neither is any liquid waste beyond household quantities. Used oil goes to the city’s waste oil site at the Gene Emery Building, 809 5th Street East, not the landfill.
- Fees
- Residential household trash: $54 a ton (from January 1, 2026), with an $8 minimum plus a $0.25 recycling fee for loads of 300 lb or less. Commercial household trash: $59.40 a ton. Unsecured loads: $25 the first time, $50 after that. Mixed loads that aren’t sorted are charged the household trash rate.
Your first stop is the scale house. Any landfill employee can reject waste, even after it’s dumped, and rejected loads are reloaded with loader fees added. Tarp or strap your load. When the landfill closes unexpectedly, city sanitation service stops too, and Public Works posts a notice on the city website. Phone numbers differ: the landfill page lists 701-577-8123 under the landfill address and 701-577-6368 for the foreman and Public Works staff; the March 2026 policy lists 701-577-8123 for the landfill foreman.
Which option fits your Williston cleanout?4
A few gallons of latex from repainting
Get the paint solidified and dried out first; the city doesn’t say how. Then haul the cans with your household trash to the landfill. A small load pays the $8 minimum.
Old oil-based stain in the shop
Don’t bring it wet; the landfill bars ignitable paints and solvents. Use it up or give it to someone who can. If you have to get rid of it, call North Dakota DEQ’s Hazardous Waste Program at 701-328-5166 or ask Minot (701-857-4140) whether its drop-off would take it.
A windy Saturday morning
The landfill is only open 8–11:30 a.m. on Saturday, and it closes when sustained winds reach 25 mph. Check the city website for a closure notice before loading a trailer, since muddy days can also mean no trailers.
A crew cleaning out a rental or job site
Commercial household trash is $59.40 a ton, and the same rule applies: no liquid paint and no ignitable paint. Dry latex first. The city lists no option for a business’s oil-based paint, and we found none in the sources reviewed; ask North Dakota DEQ’s Hazardous Waste Program (701-328-5166).
Williston rules and tips5
THE LOCAL ANSWER
Dry or solidify the paint completely, then take the cans to the City of Williston Landfill, 5176 134th Avenue NW, with household trash. Liquid paint is turned away. The landfill is open Monday–Friday 8 a.m.–4:30 p.m. and Saturday 8–11:30 a.m. all year; call Public Works at 701-577-6368 with questions.
Williston, North Dakota (Williams County) has no household hazardous waste program listed by the city or the state, and we found no paint drop-off. The City of Williston Landfill on 134th Avenue NW won’t take liquid paint, but it accepts paint cans with household trash once the paint is solid and dried out. North Dakota has no PaintCare program, and the state’s list of city collection programs doesn’t include Williston.
Solid paint only, at the scale
The city’s waste acceptance list says liquid paint is not allowed and that paint cans may be accepted with household trash (MSW) only if solidified and dried out. Your first stop is the scale house, and any landfill employee can reject waste, even after it’s dumped, so don’t hide wet cans in a trash load.
No local oil-based option found
The same list bars ignitable hazardous materials, naming solvents, paints and fuels. Neither the city nor North Dakota DEQ lists a Williston collection program; DEQ’s list of community collections covers Bismarck, Fargo, Grand Forks, Minot and West Fargo. In the sources reviewed we found no local option for liquid oil-based paint. Use it up, give it away, or ask DEQ’s Hazardous Waste Program (701-328-5166) what to do.
Wind and mud close the landfill
The city’s landfill policy closes the site when sustained winds hit 25 mph, gusts reach 35 mph or a High Wind Advisory is issued, and at 16–24 mph it takes no light loads. When it’s muddy, only four-wheel-drive vehicles may get in, with no trailers, or the site closes. Public Works posts a notice on the city website, and city garbage pickup stops until the landfill reopens.
Small loads still pay a minimum
Residential household trash costs $54 a ton as of January 1, 2026. Loads of 300 lb or less pay the $8 minimum plus a $0.25 recycling fee. Untarped loads add $25 the first time and $50 after that, and unsorted mixed loads are charged the household trash rate.
Minot’s drop-off may not be open to you
Minot’s landfill has a year-round drop-off and exchange for residential quantities of paint, stain, varnish and solvents. The city’s page doesn’t say who can use the permanent drop-off. PaintCare’s non-program listing for it (not the city) says it’s free for Minot garbage customers only. Call Minot at 701-857-4140 before making the trip.
Free pickup programs and other options
North Dakota has no PaintCare program, and PaintCare’s locator data lists no site in Williams County. North Dakota DEQ suggests sharing leftovers with neighbors or donating them to a business, charity or government agency, and taking household hazardous waste to a local collection program if one exists. The Williston Recycle Center, 409 1st St. E., is open 24/7 for cardboard, paper, tin cans and aluminum; it doesn’t list paint. Used motor oil goes to the city’s waste oil site at the Gene Emery Building, 809 5th Street East.
Getting your paint ready
The city says paint must be solidified and dried out before the landfill will take the can; it doesn’t say how. Liquid paint isn’t allowed, and the list bars ignitable paints. Tarp or strap your load, and check the city website for wind or mud closures before you drive out.
Full preparation checklist →Williston questions5
Where can I get rid of paint in Williston, ND?
Only dried or solidified paint, at the City of Williston Landfill, 5176 134th Avenue NW, with household trash. Liquid paint isn’t accepted.
Does Williston have a hazardous waste drop-off day?
No program is listed by the city or by North Dakota DEQ, and we found none in the sources reviewed. DEQ’s list of city collection programs is Bismarck, Fargo, Grand Forks, Minot and West Fargo.
Can I put dried paint cans in my city garbage cart?
The city’s rules cover the landfill: dried, solidified paint cans may go with household trash there. The city’s sanitation pages don’t address carts directly, so call Public Works at 701-577-6368.
Is the landfill open in winter?
Yes. The hours are the same summer and winter: Monday–Friday 8 a.m.–4:30 p.m. and Saturday 8–11:30 a.m. High winds, a High Wind Advisory or bad roads can close it during those hours.
How much does it cost to drop off a few dried cans?
Household loads of 300 lb or less pay the $8 minimum plus a $0.25 recycling fee. Heavier loads pay $54 a ton for residents.
Sources and how we checked10
October 17, 2026: read the City of Williston’s Public Works, Landfill, Waste Acceptance, Landfill Rates, Landfill Policies (SOP PW-017, revised March 11, 2026, including the 2022 closure policy), Sanitation, Recycle, Recycle Items and Clean Williston pages; North Dakota DEQ’s household hazardous waste page and flood-debris HHW sheet; the City of Minot’s hazardous waste page; and PaintCare’s locator data (no Williams County listing; Minot record 14691 is a non-program listing). No calls were made. Unresolved: the city doesn’t say whether dried paint cans can go in the 98-gallon curbside containers, only that they’re accepted with household trash at the landfill. In the sources reviewed, no local option for liquid oil-based paint was found, and no Williams County program or paint reuse store was found. Whether Minot’s permanent drop-off takes non-Minot residents is not stated by the city; only PaintCare’s listing limits it to Minot garbage customers. The landfill page lists 701-577-8123 under the landfill address and 701-577-6368 for the foreman and Public Works staff, while the policy PDF lists 701-577-8123 for the landfill foreman.
Checked October 17, 2026 against these sources, not by phone. How we research.
City of Williston: Landfill (location, hours, phone) ↗City of Williston: Waste Acceptance ↗City of Williston: Landfill Rates (as of January 1, 2026) ↗City of Williston: Landfill Policy SOP PW-017, revised March 11, 2026 (PDF) ↗City of Williston: Recycle Items (Recycle Center) ↗City of Williston: Sanitation ↗North Dakota DEQ: household hazardous waste ↗North Dakota DEQ: disposal of household hazardous waste and electronics (Hazardous Waste Program contact, PDF) ↗City of Minot: Hazardous Waste Collection ↗PaintCare drop-off site locator ↗
