Paint — both oil-based and latex — is classified as household hazardous waste in Kansas City and across Missouri. You can't legally put it in regular trash, you can't pour it down the drain, and a junk-removal company can't take it. Here are the legal options.
1. KC Household Hazardous Waste (HHW) facility
The MARC Solid Waste Management District runs a household hazardous waste facility that accepts paint from KC-metro residents. It's free for residents, by appointment. You bring it; they handle the disposal. This is the cleanest option.
2. PaintCare drop-off sites (latex only)
PaintCare runs a paint stewardship program at participating retailers (some Sherwin-Williams and Benjamin Moore stores). They accept up to 5 gallons per visit of latex paint, free. Oil-based paint goes through HHW.
3. Dry out and trash (latex only, with caveats)
For small amounts of latex paint, you can mix in cat litter, sand, or sawdust, let it dry completely, and put the dried can in regular trash with the lid off. Some KC-metro cities allow this, some don't. Check your city's solid-waste rules. Never do this with oil-based paint.
4. Donate usable paint
Full or nearly-full cans of paint in good condition can sometimes be donated to Habitat for Humanity ReStore, theatre companies, or community centers. Call ahead — most have current-stock limits.
What we do during a cleanout
When we hit paint cans during a garage cleanout, we set them aside in a labeled pile and tell you where to take them. We don't haul paint — it would void our disposal-facility relationships. Coordinating a HHW trip is the only way.