Everything you need to get rid of leftover paint responsibly in Milwaukee.
3879 W Lincoln Ave, Milwaukee, WI 53215
Lincoln Avenue construction: eastbound lanes are closed from 43rd to 35th Street, so you can only reach the center by driving west on Lincoln from S. 35th Street. The rest of this Drop Off Center is for City of Milwaukee residents with photo ID, but the hazardous waste program is open to anyone living in Milwaukee County. MMSD doesn’t say what proof of address it checks.
6060 S 13th St, Milwaukee, WI 53221
It’s a drive-through drop-off just north of College Avenue. This is not the city’s North Drop Off Center on Industrial Road, which doesn’t take hazardous waste.
W124N9451 Boundary Rd, Menomonee Falls, WI 53051
This site is in Waukesha County. PaintCare’s locator also lists it for Waukesha County households, but MMSD’s own page says it takes waste only from Milwaukee County households. If you live outside Milwaukee County, call 414-225-2066 before you go. It’s the only MMSD site that takes asbestos. It’s open Monday and Wednesday, the days the two Milwaukee sites are closed.
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.
3879 W Lincoln Ave, Milwaukee, WI 53215
6060 S 13th St, Milwaukee, WI 53221
6060 S 13th St, Milwaukee, WI 53221
W124 N9451 Boundary Rd., Menomonee Falls, WI 53051
W124N9451 Boundary Rd, Menomonee Falls, WI 53051
From PaintCare’s drop-off map ↗, updated October 6, 2026. Hours and limits are PaintCare’s. Distances are straight-line, not driving.
Load them in the trunk and take them to Lincoln Avenue or S. 13th Street. Latex is free up to 20 gallons a visit, so a dozen gallon cans fit in one trip. If you only have one nearly empty can, you can also let it dry and put it in the trash.
MMSD takes only 20 gallons of latex per visit. Split it into two visits, for example Saturday at one site and Tuesday or Thursday at the other. Oil-based paint has no limit.
Use MMSD’s Menomonee Falls site at W124N9451 Boundary Road, open Monday and Wednesday 11–6 and Saturday 8–2. MMSD serves all Milwaukee County households at all three sites.
MMSD takes waste made by households and apartments, but not from businesses or contractors. If the paint came from your business, hire a private hazardous waste company instead. If you’re not sure which applies, call MMSD at 414-225-2066 before you go.
Take latex or oil-based paint to an MMSD drop-off: Lincoln Avenue (3879 W Lincoln Ave, Thursday–Saturday 7–3) or S. 13th Street (6060 S 13th St, Tuesday 11–6, Saturday 8–2). It’s free for Milwaukee County households, with a 20-gallon limit on latex per visit. Don’t put liquid paint in your garbage cart.
In Milwaukee, Wisconsin, leftover paint goes to the Milwaukee Metropolitan Sewerage District (MMSD), not your garbage cart. MMSD runs free household hazardous waste drop-offs for anyone living in Milwaukee County. Two are in the city: at the South Drop Off Center on W. Lincoln Avenue and on S. 13th Street near College Avenue. They take both latex and oil-based paint.
Lincoln Avenue is open Thursday–Saturday, 7 a.m.–3 p.m. S. 13th Street is open Tuesday 11–6 and Saturday 8–2. On Monday or Wednesday, MMSD’s Menomonee Falls site on Boundary Road is open 11–6.
Unlike many Wisconsin counties, MMSD takes liquid latex paint at no charge. The limit is 20 gallons per visit. Oil-based paint has no limit. Containers over 15 gallons aren’t taken.
Eastbound Lincoln is closed from 43rd to 35th Street. Drive west on Lincoln from S. 35th Street to get into the South Drop Off Center. You can leave heading east.
The city’s North Drop Off Center at 6660 Industrial Road doesn’t take hazardous waste. Don’t confuse it with the MMSD site at 6060 S. 13th Street, which is on the far south side.
The city drop-off centers are for city residents, but MMSD’s hazardous waste program is open to every household in Milwaukee County, including Wauwatosa, West Allis and other suburbs.
Wisconsin has no PaintCare program, so stores don’t take paint back for free. Milwaukee Habitat’s ReStores in Franklin and Wauwatosa don’t accept paint or stain, though they take unused brushes, rollers and sprayers. For small amounts of latex, the Wisconsin DNR says you can dry it until solid and put it in the trash. MMSD’s page says its 2027 one-day event locations will be announced later.
Keep paint in the original cans with tight lids, and keep them upright in the trunk or truck bed. Bring no more than 20 gallons of latex per visit. Bring an ID with your Milwaukee County address in case you’re asked.
Full preparation checklist →Yes, for Milwaukee County households. MMSD’s drop-offs take latex and oil-based paint at no charge.
Not liquid paint. The city says hazardous waste doesn’t belong in your trash or recycling cart. The state DNR says latex can go in the trash once it’s completely dry. Bag your garbage, as the city requires.
Up to 20 gallons per visit. There’s no limit for oil-based paint. No single container can be over 15 gallons.
No. MMSD says no businesses or contractors, and the phone line 414-225-2066 is for Milwaukee County residents only. You’ll need a private hazardous waste company.
No. Milwaukee Habitat’s ReStore lists paint and stain as items it can’t resell. It does take unused brushes, rollers and paint sprayers.
October 7, 2026: read MMSD’s Home Hazmat Collection page (sites, hours, 2026 closed days, limits, not-accepted list, households only), the City of Milwaukee hazardous waste page, Drop Off Centers page (Lincoln Avenue construction notice, city-only rules) and garbage guidelines (opened in a browser; the city site blocks scripted requests), Milwaukee Habitat ReStore’s accepted-items page and the Wisconsin DNR household hazardous waste page. PaintCare’s locator lists all three MMSD sites as non-program household hazardous waste sites. Not found: what proof of Milwaukee County residency MMSD checks; whether the city itself allows dried latex in the cart (the DNR does); MMSD’s 2026 one-day event dates (the page now only says 2027 locations are coming). Peer review (October 7, 2026) rechecked the MMSD page, both city pages (in a browser), the ReStore page and the DNR page; all facts matched. A search summary said latex isn’t taken at a north site; the city page actually says hazardous waste isn’t taken at the North Drop Off Center on Industrial Road, and MMSD lists latex at S. 13th Street.
Checked October 7, 2026 against these sources, not by phone. How we research.
