Everything you need to get rid of leftover paint responsibly in Ames.
110 Chantland Ave, Ames, IA 50010
The street was renamed: the city now lists the plant as 110 Chantland Ave. (formerly 110 Center Ave.). PaintCare's listing and Iowa DNR's list still use 110 Center Ave. The city's rates page says drop-off traffic enters on the north side of the building from East Second Street; PaintCare's listing says the hazardous drop-off is on the west side of the building, so ask when you book. Sharps, light bulbs, antifreeze, waste oil, smoke and carbon monoxide alarms and propane canisters need no appointment.
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.
110 Center Ave, Ames, IA 50010
1268 224th Ln, Boone, IA 50036
1105 Prairie Dr, Bondurant, IA 50035
4105 Beisser Dr, Grimes, IA 50111
2605 McMurray Ave, Webster City, IA 50595
From PaintCare’s drop-off map ↗, updated October 6, 2026. Hours and limits are PaintCare’s. Distances are straight-line, not driving.
Call 515-239-5137 to set up a drop-off, then bring it in its original can to 110 Chantland Ave. The city says drop-off traffic enters on the north side from East Second Street, but PaintCare's listing puts the hazardous drop-off on the west side, so ask which door when you call.
Don't take latex to the plant. Stir in kitty litter or sawdust until it's like cookie dough, leave the lids off, and set it out with your hauler's trash. If the paint is still good, give it away.
Pour the paint in half-inch layers into a cardboard box lined with plastic, newspaper or kitty litter, letting each layer dry. Once it's solid, the box goes in the trash.
The Ames site is for households. Call Metro Waste Authority's hazardous waste drop-off in Bondurant at 888-603-2739, or call Resource Recovery for help.
Call 515-239-5137 for an appointment, then take oil-based paint, stain and thinner to the Ames Resource Recovery Plant at 110 Chantland Ave. (formerly 110 Center Ave.). Latex isn't taken: stir in kitty litter or sawdust until it's stiff, leave the lid off and put it out with your hauler's trash.
In Ames, Iowa (Story County), oil-based paint, stain and thinner go to the city's Resource Recovery Plant at 110 Chantland Ave. (formerly 110 Center Ave.), but only by appointment: call 515-239-5137 first. Latex paint is not taken there; the city says to dry it in the can so it becomes regular garbage. Iowa DNR lists the plant as Story County's satellite collection center. Iowa has no PaintCare program, so there is no free paint-store drop-off network here.
Hazardous drop-offs at the plant are by appointment only. Call 515-239-5137 (toll-free 877-639-5661), 7 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. weekdays. PaintCare's listing says drop-off times are Wednesday afternoons and Saturday mornings.
The city now lists the plant at 110 Chantland Ave., formerly 110 Center Ave. PaintCare's listing and Iowa DNR's list still use Center Ave. The city's rates page says drop-off traffic enters on the north side of the building from East Second Street; PaintCare's listing says the hazardous drop-off is on the west side. Ask which door when you book.
Ames says to stir clay, kitty litter, floor dry or sawdust into latex until it is stiff like putty or cookie dough, and leave the lid off so workers can see it's dry. For a lot of paint, pour it in half-inch layers into a plastic-lined cardboard box. If the paint has separated, pour off the clear liquid into a box with an equal amount of kitty litter.
The City of Ames doesn't collect garbage. Licensed private haulers do, so dried latex goes out with your hauler's trash. The city's curbside recycling cart started July 1, 2026, collected by Aspen Waste; it is for recyclables only, not paint.
The city is phasing out its waste-to-energy plant and planning a new Resource Recovery and Recycling Campus on Freel Drive, with a target opening in July 2027. For now, hazardous drop-offs stay at the Chantland Ave. plant.
Iowa DNR lists Metro Waste Authority's drop-off at 1105 Prairie Dr. SW in Bondurant as Story County's main collection center, with Ames as the local satellite. Metro Waste's page shows household drop-off hours of Tuesday to Friday 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Saturday 8 a.m. to noon, closed on major holidays (515-967-5512), but it doesn't say whether Story County households can use it, so call first. The City of Ames gives businesses and farms a different number for the Bondurant drop-off: 888-603-2739. For latex, drying is the main option; Iowa DNR also mentions commercial paint hardener. If the paint is still good, the city suggests giving it to a neighbor, community theater, school, parks program or low-income agency.
Read the label: water cleanup means latex, mineral spirits means oil-based. Make your appointment first, then bring oil-based and lead-based paint, stains and thinners in their original, closed containers. For latex, follow the city's drying steps and leave the lid off so the hauler can see it's solid. Never pour paint down a drain; the city says treatment plants can't remove many paint chemicals.
Full preparation checklist →At the Resource Recovery Plant, 110 Chantland Ave., by appointment. Call 515-239-5137 to book.
No. Latex is on the plant's unacceptable list. Dry it in the can and it becomes regular garbage.
Yes. Iowa DNR lists Ames as the Story County satellite collection center, and PaintCare's listing says it serves Story County households. The city's own pages don't say, so confirm when you call for an appointment.
PaintCare's listing says households only. The city tells businesses and farms to call the Metro Hazardous Waste Drop-Off in Bondurant at 888-603-2739, or call Resource Recovery.
The plant is closed Thanksgiving Day, November 26. On Friday, November 27, the tipping floor is open 7 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. but offices are closed, so call ahead about appointments. Offices are also closed on Veterans Day, November 11.
October 17, 2026: the City of Ames site blocks curl, so its pages were re-read in the in-app browser: household hazardous materials, paint, Resource Recovery System, rates (July 2026), operation status and 2026 holiday schedule, licensed area haulers, and curbside recycling. Also read Iowa DNR's collection-center list and latex fact sheet, Metro Waste Authority's Bondurant drop-off page, and PaintCare's listing (record 15605, a non-program listing; Iowa has no PaintCare program). The Wednesday-afternoon and Saturday-morning drop-off times, the west-side location and the Story County households-only rule come only from PaintCare. The city's main page says trash deliveries go to 410 E 2nd St (north side); the rates page puts all drop-off traffic on the north side. Not resolved: whether there is any fee or amount limit for paint, whether non-Story County residents are accepted, whether Story County households can use Bondurant, and whether the hazardous drop-off will move when the new campus opens. No calls or visits.
Checked October 17, 2026 against these sources, not by phone. How we research.
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