Everything you need to get rid of leftover paint responsibly in Spencer.
3101 W 18th St, Spencer, IA 51301
Stop at the Transfer Station front office before you unload. Wait for staff to help you; you'll fill out a short form while they unload. Drive straight there with your chemicals. Don't run errands with them in the car.
4540 360th St, Sheldon, IA 51201
Completely dried latex can go in your regular garbage. The agency says the paint must be fully dry, or the hauler and landfill won't take it.
1 paint store and 4 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.
3101 W 18th St, Spencer, IA 51301
2260 220th St, Milford, IA 51351
3428 450th Ave, Emmetsburg, IA 50536
171 Industrial Pkwy, Jackson, MN 56143
52117 190th Ave, Pocahontas, IA 50574
From PaintCare’s drop-off map ↗, updated October 6, 2026. Hours and limits are PaintCare’s. Distances are straight-line, not driving.
Skip the trip. Mix kitty litter or sawdust into each can, let it dry somewhere away from kids and pets, then set the cans out with your trash with the lids off. If a can is still good, call 712-580-7277 to ask if the Swap Shop wants it. PaintCare's listing says the center doesn't take latex, so don't just show up with it.
Make a list, call 712-580-7277, and book a weekday morning at 3101 W. 18th St. Pack the cans upright in a lined box, check in at the Transfer Station office, and show your ID.
Your town is served by the Sheldon landfill, not Spencer. Call 712-324-4026 to book a time between 9 a.m. and 3 p.m. on a weekday. Oil-based paint goes there; latex costs $1 a gallon there, or you can dry it and put it in your garbage.
Don't put paint in a construction dumpster; the city bans hazardous waste in them. Sort it and bring it to the Transfer Station, where fees may apply. PaintCare's listing says very small businesses should call 712-580-7270 about the collection center.
Call 712-580-7277, then bring oil-based paint to the Northern Plains Regional Collection Center at 3101 W. 18th St., Monday–Friday, 8 a.m. to noon. It's for Spencer and rural Clay County households (free, per PaintCare's listing); bring your ID. Dry latex paint and put it in your garbage.
In Spencer, Iowa (Clay County), leftover oil-based paint goes to the Northern Plains Regional Collection Center at the city Transfer Station, 3101 W. 18th St. It's open weekday mornings, 8 a.m. to noon, and you should call 712-580-7277 to set a time. It's for Spencer and rural Clay County households, and PaintCare's listing says it's free. Latex paint doesn't need to go there: dry it out and put it in your garbage. Iowa has no PaintCare program, so there's no store take-back program for paint.
The Transfer Station is open until 4 p.m. on weekdays and until 1 p.m. on Saturday, but hazardous waste is handled only Monday–Friday from 8 a.m. to noon. The city's brochure says to call 712-580-7277 for an appointment. There are no Saturday hours for paint.
Iowa DNR splits Clay County. Spencer and the rural parts of the county use the Spencer center; the county's other incorporated towns use Sheldon. Everly, Peterson, Royal, Dickens, Webb, Fostoria, Gillett Grove, Greenville and Rossie are in the Northwest Iowa Area Solid Waste Agency's area, so their residents book at the Sheldon landfill (712-324-4026) instead.
Iowa DNR also lists the Spencer center for Emmet, Palo Alto and Pocahontas counties, Terril and Superior in Dickinson County, and Bode in Humboldt County. Iowa DNR also lists a Pocahontas County satellite site at 52117 190th Ave., Pocahontas (712-335-4069). PaintCare lists a Palo Alto County drop-off at 3428 450th Ave., Emmetsburg (712-852-2482), by appointment, for households except West Bend. Call your county site first. The rest of Dickinson County, including Milford, uses the Dickinson County center in Milford (712-338-2549).
The center keeps a Swap Shop of usable products, including latex paint, cleaners and car care supplies, free to residents. The brochure says it keeps the same morning hours. Stop in if you need paint for a small job.
Every vehicle must stop at the Transfer Station front office before unloading. At the center, show an ID for proof of where you live, wait for staff, and fill out a short form while they unload. Tarp or tie down your load, or you'll pay $10.
Dry latex paint at home: mix in kitty litter or sawdust, let it harden, and put it out with your garbage with the lid off so the hauler can see it's dry. Iowa DNR says latex isn't hazardous waste. Spencer residents can't take household garbage straight to the Northern Plains Landfill near Graettinger; the city says it only takes loads from haulers. Contractors can bring sorted paint and chemicals to the Transfer Station, where fees may apply. Sioux City's drop-off, the nearest big-city guide on this site, is for Sioux City households only.
Write down what you have and about how much before you call 712-580-7277. Keep paint in its original cans. Stand them upright in a box lined with plastic, and put any leaking can in a heavy or double plastic bag. Set the box on a flat spot in your vehicle and drive straight there. Bring your ID.
Full preparation checklist →Oil-based paint, stain and thinner go to the Northern Plains Regional Collection Center at the Transfer Station, 3101 W. 18th St. It's open Monday–Friday, 8 a.m. to noon. Call 712-580-7277 first.
Yes, once it's dry. Add kitty litter or sawdust, mix, let it dry, and set it out with your trash with the lid off.
PaintCare's listing says it's free for households. The city doesn't post a charge. An untarped load at the Transfer Station costs $10.
Iowa DNR and the Sheldon agency say Clay County's incorporated towns other than Spencer belong to the Northwest Iowa Area Solid Waste Agency. Call 712-324-4026 to book at 4540 360th St. in Sheldon. Latex costs $1 a gallon there.
PaintCare's listing says very small businesses can ask about disposal at 712-580-7270 or rcc@spenceriowacity.com. The city's contractor flyer says paint and chemicals are taken at the Transfer Station if sorted, and fees may apply.
October 16, 2026: read the City of Spencer's Garbage & Recycling page, its Northern Plains Regional Collection Center brochure (a scanned PDF, read as an image) and its contractor flyer; Iowa DNR's Regional Collection Center county list and latex paint fact sheet; the Northwest Iowa Area Solid Waste Agency's service area, accepted items and hours pages; and PaintCare's non-program listings for Spencer, Sheldon, Emmetsburg, Pocahontas and Milford. Unresolved: the city's web page lists hours but doesn't say appointments are needed; the brochure and PaintCare say to call first, so we tell people to call. The brochure lists latex under waste paint but tells you to dry it; PaintCare says the site takes no latex. No fee is posted on the city's pages; 'free for households' comes from PaintCare's listing. Palo Alto/Pocahontas: Iowa DNR lists Spencer as the main center for both counties and also lists a Pocahontas satellite of the Northern Plains center (52117 190th Ave.). PaintCare lists Emmetsburg as a Northern Plains satellite (households, not West Bend) and calls the Pocahontas site a satellite of the Landfill of North Iowa center. The sites agree; only the parent center named for Pocahontas differs, so we tell those residents to call their county site first. Peer review (October 16, 2026) confirmed Iowa DNR's Clay County split: Spencer and unincorporated areas use Spencer; incorporated areas use Sheldon. No gallon limit is posted. We found no current collection events for Spencer.
Checked October 16, 2026 against these sources, not by phone. How we research.
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