Everything you need to get rid of leftover paint responsibly in Columbia.
1313 Lakeview Ave, Columbia, MO 65201
The site is one block west of the city’s Municipal Power Plant, just off Business Loop 70 East. Free 5-gallon buckets of latex paint at the shed are offered “as is”: buckets may not be full, and color and tint aren’t guaranteed.
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.
1313 Lakeview, Columbia, MO 65201
201 S Morris, Mexico, MO 65265
210 N Pacific St, Tipton, MO 65081
151 W Outer Rd, Moberly, MO 65270
From PaintCare’s drop-off map ↗, updated October 6, 2026. Hours and limits are PaintCare’s. Distances are straight-line, not driving.
Catch a collection Saturday before the season ends, or dry latex and trash it. Oil-based paint can’t go in the trash; store it until April if you miss October.
That’s over the 15-can limit for one car. Split it over two collection Saturdays, or dry some of the latex.
Stop at the Paint for Reuse Shed on a Friday morning during the season (it closes after October). The 5-gallon buckets are free, but color isn’t guaranteed and they may not be full.
The district says Boone County residents can use the site, but the city page says it’s for city residents. Call 573-874-2489 before you load up.
Bring paint to 1313 Lakeview Ave. on the first or third Saturday of the month, April through October, 8 a.m.–noon. It’s free for Columbia, Missouri, residents and takes latex and oil-based paint, up to three 5-gallon buckets and 15 one-gallon cans per vehicle. Outside that season, dry latex and put it in the trash.
Columbia, Missouri (Boone County), takes paint only on collection Saturdays at its hazardous waste site at 1313 Lakeview Ave., near the city power plant. Collections run the first and third Saturdays from April through October, 8 a.m. to noon. It’s free and takes both latex and oil-based paint, with limits. In season, the same site gives away free latex paint on Fridays.
Collections are the first and third Saturdays, April through October, 8 a.m.–noon. After the last October collection, there are none until April, so dry your latex for the trash or store oil-based paint until spring. Nothing hazardous is collected at the curb.
Since 2025 the city takes no more than three 5-gallon buckets and no more than 15 one-gallon cans of paint from each vehicle.
Crews no longer unload trailers because the site is too tight. Load everything into your car or truck bed.
The Paint for Reuse Shed at 1313 Lakeview gives away 5-gallon buckets of latex Fridays 8 a.m.–noon during the season, through October. It’s offered “as is”: buckets may not be full, and color and tint aren’t guaranteed.
The city page says collections are for City of Columbia residents. The Mid-Missouri Solid Waste Management District says the site is open to Columbia and Boone County residents. If you live outside city limits, call 573-874-2489 before you go.
There’s no free store take-back in Missouri. Outside the April–October season, Missouri DNR says latex can be hardened with kitty litter, sand, shredded newspaper or paint hardener and put in the trash. Store oil-based paint safely until April. The Mid-Missouri district (573-874-7574) covers Boone and nearby counties.
Keep paint in original cans with tight lids, upright in a cardboard box so it can’t tip. Put a leaking can inside a larger lidded plastic tub packed with clay cat litter. Don’t mix products. Ride in the trunk or truck bed if you can.
Full preparation checklist →First and third Saturdays, April through October, 8 a.m.–noon, at 1313 Lakeview Ave. There are no collections November through March.
Yes. Water-based and solvent-based paint are both on the list, within the per-vehicle limit.
Up to three 5-gallon buckets and up to 15 one-gallon cans per vehicle.
It’s offered “as is.” Buckets may not be full and color isn’t guaranteed.
No. Commercial hazardous waste isn’t accepted.
October 7, 2026: read the City of Columbia household hazardous waste page (updated April 1, 2026), its facility contact page, the May 2025 City Source article on the new limits, the single-family trash page, the Mid-Missouri Solid Waste Management District HHW page and Missouri DNR’s paint guidance. PaintCare’s locator lists the site as a non-program site. Unresolved: whether Boone County residents outside Columbia are welcome (district says yes; city says city residents). The city page doesn’t say what ID is checked or give a Columbia-specific rule for dried latex in city trash; the DNR statewide guidance is used instead. Specific remaining 2026 collection dates aren’t listed, only the first-and-third-Saturday rule. The directions (one block west of the Municipal Power Plant, off Business Loop 70 East) come from a 2014 city news release. On October 7 the May 2025 City Source article returned a server error; its limits match the live HHW page.
Checked October 7, 2026 against these sources, not by phone. How we research.
