Drop it off free
2 free paint drop-off sites within 12 miles.
- Slavens True Value HardwarePaint store0.7 mi
- Choice Building Supply and Ace HardwarePaint store0.8 mi
- Kroegers Ace HardwarePaint store38.5 mi
Cortez, CO Paint Disposal
Everything you need to get rid of leftover paint responsibly in Cortez.
NOW AVAILABLE IN CORTEZ
Paint recycling pickup. Book online.
Book a pickup $89 minimum · No next-day surcharge
All drop-off locations in and near Cortez5
Start with these
Choice Building Supply and Ace Hardware (PaintCare drop-off on North Broadway)
525 N Broadway, Cortez, CO 81321
- Accepts
- Latex and oil-based house paint, stain and varnish in containers of 5 gallons or less (PaintCare listing). No spray cans, unlabeled, leaking or empty containers.
- Who can use it
- Households and businesses (PaintCare listing).
- Hours
- During store hours. Call ahead to check hours and that they can take your paint.
- Load limits
- 5 gallons per visit (PaintCare listing).
- Fees
- Free.
On Broadway (US 491) north of Main Street. The county landfill won’t take liquid paint, so a PaintCare store is the only place in Cortez to hand in leftover paint as a liquid. The city’s recycling page also points to the two PaintCare sites in town. Call first.
Slavens True Value Hardware (PaintCare drop-off on West Main St)
237 W Main St, Cortez, CO 81321
- Accepts
- Latex and oil-based house paint, stain and varnish in containers of 5 gallons or less (PaintCare listing). No spray cans, unlabeled, leaking or empty containers.
- Who can use it
- Households and businesses (PaintCare listing).
- Hours
- During store hours. Call ahead to check hours and that they can take your paint.
- Load limits
- 5 gallons per visit (PaintCare listing).
- Fees
- Free.
Downtown on Main Street (US 160). With Choice Building Supply, you can drop 10 gallons in one trip. In PaintCare’s data, the next nearest stores are in Durango.
Montezuma County Landfill (dried paint and empty cans only)
26100 County Road F, Cortez, CO 81321
- Accepts
- Not liquid paint. The county lists paint as a liquid waste the landfill can’t accept. Paint brushed onto scrap and left to dry, empty cans, and latex dried to a gel in the can can go out with normal trash.
- Who can use it
- Landfill customers. The City of Cortez sends residents here with hazardous waste questions.
- Hours
- Monday to Saturday, 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. (county landfill pages).
- Load limits
- Liquids are judged by the paint filter test (EPA Method 9095). Hazardous materials over 5 gallons, and volatile and flammable waste, are banned.
- Fees
- Normal landfill trash fees. The county lists rates on its tipping fees page.
The county does not list a household hazardous waste program or collection day, and Colorado’s state list shows none for Montezuma County. Its banned list includes “volatile and flammable waste,” so thinner and spray cans have no home here. For anything unusual, the county has a Special Waste Request form, or call the landfill office before you bring anything that isn’t dry.
2 PaintCare drop-off sites within 12 miles of Cortez.
5 paint stores and 0 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 Colorado
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.
Slavens True Value Hardware
0.7 mi237 W Main St, Cortez, CO 81321
- Limits
- Limit: 5 gallons per visit.
Choice Building Supply and Ace Hardware
0.8 mi525 N Broadway, Cortez, CO 81321
- Limits
- Limit: 5 gallons per visit.
Kroegers Ace Hardware
38.5 mi8 Town Plaza, Durango, CO 81301
- Limits
- Limit: 5 gallons per visit.
Colors Inc
39.2 mi166 Bodo Dr, Durango, CO 81303
- Limits
- Limit: 5 gallons per visit.
Sherwin-Williams
39.2 mi400 S Camino Del Rio, Durango, CO 81301
- Limits
- Limit: 5 gallons per visit.
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 Cortez cleanout?4
Half a gallon of latex in the garage
Open it and let it dry to a gel (keep rain and water out), or brush it onto scrap cardboard. Once it’s dry, the can and the paint can go out with normal trash, as the county describes.
Ten gallons of good paint after a remodel
Drop 5 gallons at Choice Building Supply on Broadway and 5 at Slavens on Main Street. Call each store first.
Old oil-based stain from a ranch shed
PaintCare stores take oil-based stain and paint in labeled cans. Don’t take it to the landfill as a liquid. If the label is gone, the stores won’t take it; call the landfill office at 970-565-9858.
You live in Dove Creek
Dolores County has no PaintCare site in PaintCare’s data, and the state list shows no hazardous waste program there. Cortez is the nearest. Combine the trip with errands and stay under 5 gallons per store.
Cortez rules and tips6
THE LOCAL ANSWER
Take liquid house paint, stain and varnish to Choice Building Supply and Ace Hardware on North Broadway or Slavens True Value on West Main Street, up to 5 gallons per visit. The Montezuma County Landfill won’t take liquid paint, but dried paint and empty cans can go in your trash. We found no hazardous waste collection for spray cans or thinner in the county.
In Cortez, Colorado, take leftover liquid house paint to one of the two PaintCare stores: Choice Building Supply and Ace Hardware on North Broadway or Slavens True Value on West Main Street. The Montezuma County Landfill won’t take liquid paint, but it says dried paint and empty cans can go in the trash. We found no household hazardous waste program or collection day for Montezuma County.
The landfill takes paint only when it’s dry
Montezuma County calls paint a liquid waste the landfill can’t accept. Its special wastes page says you can brush old paint onto scrap wood or cardboard, or open a latex can and let it dry to a gel, as long as no water has gotten into the can. Then the dried material and empty cans go out as normal trash.
City and county pages read differently
The City of Cortez lists paint as unacceptable in city trash and says it must go to the county landfill. Its hazardous waste page says latex and oil paint “must be dried.” The county page explains what that means: no liquid paint at the gate. So dry it first, or take it to a PaintCare store as a liquid.
Two PaintCare stores in town
PaintCare’s data lists Choice Building Supply and Ace Hardware at 525 N Broadway and Slavens True Value at 237 W Main St. The city’s recycling page also says Cortez has two PaintCare sites for paint, stain and varnish. Each takes 5 gallons per visit. In PaintCare’s data, the next nearest stores are in Durango.
No wet paint on the city flatbed
Each year from April 1 to November 1, the city rents out a flatbed truck for bulk trash. Loads can’t include wet paint, chemicals, oil or liquids of any kind. Pay the fee at the City Service Center, 110 West Progress Circle, by noon on the delivery day, and call 970-565-7320 with questions. The page also mentions a yearly Clean Up Week but doesn’t say what it takes, so keep paint out of it unless the city says otherwise.
Dolores, Mancos and Dove Creek
PaintCare’s data lists no drop-off site in Dolores, Mancos or Dove Creek. Cortez is the closest for Dolores and Dove Creek. From Mancos, Cortez and Durango are both options.
No place for spray cans or thinner
PaintCare stores don’t take aerosols or solvents, and the county landfill bans liquids and “volatile and flammable waste.” Colorado’s state list shows no hazardous waste program for Montezuma County. Durango’s collection events are listed as open to La Plata County residents, not Montezuma County. The one drop-off the state lists as open to all Colorado residents is Clean Harbors in Henderson, in the Denver area (Tuesday and Thursday 9 to 2, every third Saturday 9 to 3). Call the landfill at 970-565-9858 to ask what to do closer to home.
Free pickup programs and other options
With 100 gallons or more, a contractor or property manager can ask PaintCare for a free large-volume pickup. Small amounts of latex can be dried the way the county describes and put in the trash. If you are driving to Durango anyway, its PaintCare stores take paint on the same terms. Durango’s own hazardous waste events are listed for La Plata County residents.
Getting your paint ready
For the stores: keep paint in the original labeled can with the lid on tight, and bring no more than 5 gallons to each store. For the trash: leave latex cans open to dry to a gel (keep water out), or brush leftover paint onto scrap cardboard and let it dry. Keep spray cans and thinner separate; they can’t go in the trash or on the city flatbed.
Full preparation checklist →Cortez questions6
Where can I recycle paint in Cortez, CO?
At Choice Building Supply and Ace Hardware (525 N Broadway) or Slavens True Value (237 W Main St). Both are PaintCare drop-offs that take latex and oil-based paint, stain and varnish free, 5 gallons per visit.
Does the Montezuma County Landfill take paint?
Not as a liquid. The county lists paint as a liquid waste it can’t accept. Dried paint, painted scrap and empty cans can go in normal trash.
Is there a hazardous waste day in Montezuma County?
We found none on the county or city websites, and Colorado’s state list shows no program for the county. Ask the landfill at 970-565-9858.
Can I put dried latex paint in my Cortez trash?
Yes. The city says paint must be dried, and the county says dried paint and empty cans can go in the trash.
Where can people in Dolores or Mancos drop off paint?
PaintCare lists no site in either town. The two Cortez stores are the closest; Mancos residents can also use the Durango stores.
Can I use Durango’s hazardous waste collection from Cortez?
Colorado’s state list says Durango’s collection events are open to La Plata County residents. Cortez is in Montezuma County. Durango’s PaintCare stores take paint from anyone, 5 gallons per visit.
Sources and how we checked10
October 16, 2026: read Montezuma County’s landfill banned-wastes page (posted list, effective Jan. 1, 2017) and special-wastes page (effective Sept. 1, 2013), the City of Cortez Hazardous Waste Disposal, Unacceptable Waste, Landfill and Rates, Recycling and Bulk Trash Collection pages, Colorado CDPHE’s household hazardous waste program list (no Montezuma or Dolores County entry; Durango’s events open to La Plata County residents; Clean Harbors in Henderson open to all Colorado residents), PaintCare’s Colorado page and PaintCare’s locator data. Store details are from PaintCare’s data and the city’s recycling page, not visits or calls. Unresolved: no local option found for spray cans, thinner or other household chemicals in Montezuma County, and the city page does not say what its yearly Clean Up Week takes.
Checked October 16, 2026 against these sources, not by phone. How we research.
Montezuma County Landfill: banned wastes ↗Montezuma County Landfill: special wastes (drying paint) ↗City of Cortez: Hazardous Waste Disposal ↗City of Cortez: Unacceptable Waste ↗City of Cortez: Landfill and Rates ↗Colorado CDPHE: household hazardous waste collection programs ↗PaintCare Colorado (drop-off, large-volume pickup, door-to-door counties) ↗PaintCare drop-off site locator ↗City of Cortez: Recycling (two PaintCare sites in Cortez) ↗City of Cortez: Bulk Trash Collection (flatbed rules) ↗
.jpg){kind=link}
.jpg){kind=link}