Everything you need to get rid of leftover paint responsibly in Emporia.
3000 W South Ave, Emporia, KS 66801
The city's page gives the phone as 340-6365; PaintCare's listing gives 620-340-6365. Lyon County's page lists 620-340-6366 for the department director, Amy Welch. The city's transfer station is a separate site at 3100 W. South Ave., with different hours.
202 Walnut, Cottonwood Falls, KS
Open only two Thursdays a month, and who can use it and what it takes aren't published. Call 620-273-8464 before you drive.
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.
3000 W South Ave, Emporia, KS 66801
614 US Hwy 56, Council Grove, KS 66846
1430 12th Ln SE, Burlington, KS 66839
From PaintCare’s drop-off map ↗, updated October 6, 2026. Hours and limits are PaintCare’s. Distances are straight-line, not driving.
That's over the 5-gallon limit for one visit. Call 620-340-6365 to make arrangements, or split it into several weekday trips.
Wrap it in a clear plastic bag and set it in a larger container packed with kitty litter. Make sure the label can still be read, then take it to 3000 W. South Ave.
Leave the paint at home. The transfer station at 3100 W. South Ave. is open Saturday, but the hazardous waste department at 3000 W. South Ave. posts weekday hours only.
Call the Chase County Satellite Facility at 620-273-8464 first. The city's page lists it at 202 Walnut in Cottonwood Falls, open the first and third Thursdays, 9 a.m.-3 p.m., but doesn't say who can use it or what it takes. PaintCare's information-only listing names Chase County households for the main site in Emporia, which takes latex and oil-based paint; call 620-340-6365 to check.
Take latex or oil-based paint to the Lyon County Hazardous Waste Department, 3000 W. South Ave., Monday-Friday, 8 a.m.-4 p.m. Bring no more than 80 pounds or 5 gallons of liquid per visit unless you've made arrangements first. Call 620-340-6365 with questions.
This guide is for Emporia, Kansas, in Lyon County. The Lyon County Hazardous Waste Department at 3000 W. South Ave. takes latex and oil-based paint, stains and thinners on weekdays. The city's page also lists a Chase County Satellite Facility at 202 Walnut in Cottonwood Falls, open two Thursdays a month; call to ask who can use it. Kansas has no PaintCare program, so stores don't take paint back.
The county's list covers latex, enamel or oil-based paint, rust paints, stains and finishes, thinners, turpentine, furniture strippers and wood preservatives, including aerosol cans. Unlabeled products, ammunition, asbestos, medical waste, PCBs and radioactive waste aren't taken.
Each residential household can bring up to 80 pounds or 5 gallons of liquid waste per visit unless arrangements are made ahead. For a whole-house repaint, call 620-340-6365 before you load up.
The Emporia transfer station at 3100 W. South Ave. is open Monday-Saturday 8 a.m.-5 p.m. and Sunday 1-5 p.m. Its page lists fees for trash, building debris, appliances and tires and says nothing about paint. The hazardous waste department at 3000 W. South Ave. posts weekday hours only, so plan paint for a weekday.
The city's page lists the Chase County Satellite Facility at 202 Walnut, Cottonwood Falls, open the first and third Thursdays, 9 a.m.-3 p.m., at 620-273-8464. It doesn't say who can use it or what it takes, so call first. PaintCare's information-only listing says the main Emporia site is for households in Lyon and Chase counties.
Shawnee County's site at 131 NE 46th St. in Topeka adds first-Saturday collection days, and PaintCare's information-only listing says it's for Shawnee County households. Lyon County posts no weekend hours, so Emporia residents need a weekday trip.
Kansas has no PaintCare program, so stores don't take paint back. Since the Lyon County site takes latex, take it there rather than the trash. The city's cart guidelines say nothing about paint, so we found no Emporia rule on dried latex in trash carts. Usable paint can go to a friend, school or church first. Businesses should call the department; the city's page says to call for business waste.
Check that every lid is tight and every product is labeled; the county turns away unknowns. Wrap any leaking or dirty can in a clear plastic bag and pack it in a bigger container with kitty litter. Carry everything inside your vehicle. Count gallons so you stay at or under 5 gallons of liquid, or call ahead.
Full preparation checklist →At the Lyon County Hazardous Waste Department, 3000 W. South Ave., Monday-Friday, 8 a.m.-4 p.m., the city says. Lyon County's page lists 7:30-4:30, so call 620-340-6365 if you're cutting it close.
Yes. Latex is on its list, along with oil-based paint, stains, thinners and spray paint.
Up to 80 pounds or 5 gallons of liquid per residential household visit, unless you arrange more ahead of time.
No weekend hours are posted for hazardous waste. The transfer station at 3100 W. South Ave. is open weekends, but it isn't the paint drop-off.
PaintCare's information-only listing says households only. The city's page tells businesses to call the office at 620-340-6365.
October 16, 2026: read the City of Emporia's Hazardous Waste Department, Transfer Station and trash cart guideline pages; Lyon County's Noxious Weeds & Hazardous Waste page; Shawnee County's household hazardous waste page; and PaintCare's locator data (records 15642 and 15659; Kansas has no PaintCare program). Unresolved: department hours (city 8-4, county 7:30-4:30); phone (340-6365 on the city page and PaintCare, 620-340-6366 for the director on the county page); who can use the Chase County satellite and what it takes (the city's page gives only its name, address, phone and hours, so the guide no longer says it serves Chase County or takes paint); whether any fee applies to paint; whether dried latex can go in Emporia trash carts (no city page says). Independent fact-check on October 17, 2026 re-read every source; see research/batch18-ks-mo-peer-review.md.
Checked October 16, 2026 against these sources, not by phone. How we research.
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