This address is one of the most misunderstood waste sites in Collin County, and it is worth being clear about what it is before you load the car. The building at 4110 West Plano Parkway houses the City of Plano's Household Chemical Reuse Center, run by the Environmental Waste Services division. It is a give-away shop, not a disposal point.

What the centre does is hand out usable household products — paint, cleaners, garden and automotive chemicals — that other Plano residents have handed in through the city's collection programme and that staff have approved for reuse. Everything on the shelves is free to Plano residents. What the centre does not do is take material off you at the door. It is not a drop-off location, so arriving with a load of old paint tins in the boot will get you nowhere.

To get rid of household chemicals, Plano residents book a kerbside Household Chemical Collection instead. Collections are scheduled by postcode, and you need to ring Environmental Waste Services on (972) 769-4150 at least 24 hours before your collection day to book a slot. Items go out in a cardboard box marked HCC by 7am on the day, kept well clear of your trash and recycling carts so the truck's mechanical arm cannot knock them over.

For bulkier material there is a separate route. The city directs residents to the North Texas Municipal Water District transfer stations, open Monday to Saturday from 8am to 4:30pm, and you must bring a copy of a current City of Plano utility bill to use them. There is also the Dallas County Home Chemical Collection Center, 11234 Plano Road, open to Plano residents on production of a city water bill.

Our listing previously described this address as a free residential drop-off. That was wrong, and it is the kind of error that sends someone on a wasted journey, so we have corrected it.