Everything you need to get rid of leftover paint responsibly in McCook.
108 West Railroad Service Rd, McCook, NE 69001
Don’t leave anything outside the gate; bring it in while the site is open. Pack cans upright in a lined box or tote, and drive straight there. The county says vapors can build up in a parked car.
1501 W. A St., McCook, NE 69001
Bring liquid paint to the county hazardous waste facility on Railroad Service Road instead. Trash from here goes to the J Bar J Landfill near Ogallala.
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.
108 West Railroad Service Rd, McCook, NE 69001
607 Main St, Atwood, KS 67730
From PaintCare’s drop-off map ↗, updated October 6, 2026. Hours and limits are PaintCare’s. Distances are straight-line, not driving.
Pack them upright in a lined box and take them to the county facility on a Tuesday or Thursday. The county lists paints, spray paints and flammable liquids.
Call 308-345-4333 to ask whether latex is taken, since the county doesn’t say. Don’t put liquid latex in your trash or take it to the transfer station; the city bans liquid paint there.
PaintCare lists both counties for the McCook facility. Call 308-345-4333 to confirm before the drive, and plan around Tuesday, Thursday or first-Saturday hours.
The county says a big load may carry a charge, because the site runs on grant money. Call ahead with a rough count. The state directory warns that most household sites don’t take commercial or farm pesticides.
Take paint to the Red Willow County Household Hazardous Waste Facility, 108 West Railroad Service Road, on a Tuesday or Thursday (9 a.m.–3 p.m.) or the first Saturday of the month (9 a.m.–noon). Don’t take liquid paint to the city transfer station; it is banned there. Call 308-345-4333 about latex or a large load.
In McCook, Nebraska (Red Willow County), paint goes to the Red Willow County Household Hazardous Waste Facility at 108 West Railroad Service Road. It is open Tuesdays and Thursdays plus the first Saturday of each month. The city transfer station on W. A St. bans liquid paint. Nebraska has no PaintCare program, so paint stores don’t take paint back.
PaintCare’s listing says the McCook facility is for households in Perkins, Hayes, Frontier, Dundy, Hitchcock, Red Willow and Furnas counties. The county’s own page doesn’t list counties, so call 308-345-4333 if you live outside Red Willow County.
The City of McCook bans liquid paint at its transfer station at 1501 W. A St. The city doesn’t say whether fully dried latex is OK, so ask at 308-345-7049 before putting dried cans in your trash.
The county facility runs on grant money. It says large loads, businesses and community cleanup events may be charged. Call before you bring a pickup bed full of cans.
The county asks you not to leave anything outside the gate. Bring it Tuesdays or Thursdays, 9 a.m.–3 p.m., or the first Saturday of the month, 9 a.m.–noon.
PaintCare lists North Platte’s Lincoln County site as open only the 2nd and 4th Thursday, for North Platte and Lincoln County households. McCook’s site is open every Tuesday and Thursday, and it doesn’t list Lincoln County.
Use paint up, or give usable cans to someone who will use them, as the Nebraska Department of Water, Energy, and Environment suggests. The county facility doesn’t split latex from oil-based paint, so call 308-345-4333 to ask about latex. PaintCare lists the county site for households only, and the county says businesses may be charged. A business can call the state agency at 402-471-2186 or hire a hazardous waste company.
Keep paint in its original can with the lid tight. Label any can without a label. Set cans upright in a box or tote lined with plastic or newspaper, and bag any leaking can by itself. Put the box in the truck bed or trunk, open two windows if it rides inside, and drive straight to the facility.
Full preparation checklist →To the Red Willow County Household Hazardous Waste Facility, 108 West Railroad Service Road. It is open Tuesdays and Thursdays, 9 a.m.–3 p.m., and the first Saturday of the month, 9 a.m.–noon.
The county lists “paints” and spray paints without splitting latex from oil-based. Call 308-345-4333 to check before you bring latex.
Not liquid paint. The city bans it there. Take it to the county facility instead.
No fee is posted for a normal household load. Large loads, businesses and groups may be charged, so call 308-345-4333 first.
PaintCare’s listing names both counties among the seven the site serves. The county page doesn’t list counties, so call to check.
October 16, 2026: read Red Willow County’s Household Hazardous Waste page, the City of McCook Transfer Station / Collection / Recycling page, its transfer-station FAQ and Trash Pickup Schedule, Nebraska DWEE’s HHW release (it lists McCook’s facility) and its permit record for the McCook transfer station, the Nebraska Department of Agriculture’s HHW directory (revised September 2026), and PaintCare’s locator data (site 15080; it spells Furnas as “Furnace”). The seven-county service area and the 5-gallon/50-pound container limit come only from PaintCare. The county doesn’t say whether latex is taken separately from oil-based paint. The city bans liquid paint at its transfer station but doesn’t say whether dried latex may go in trash. A McCook Gazette story on county HHW funding would not load. Unresolved: latex intake, any fee schedule for large loads, and whether dried latex is allowed in city trash.
Checked October 16, 2026 against these sources, not by phone. How we research.
