It is illegal for needles and other sharps to be placed into trash or recycling containers since they could cause an injury. “Sharps” is a medical term for devices with sharp points or edges that can puncture or cut skin. Examples of sharps include needles, syringes, lancets, auto injectors (such as EpiPens), pen needles, and infusion sets. California has an extended producer responsibility law in place that require pharmaceutical companies to pay for convenient safe disposal of Sharps.
Sharps Containers
- Sharps must be placed in a FDA-approved sharps disposal container immediately after they have been used. FDA-approved sharps disposal containers are available at most pharmacies and drugstores.
- Check with your health provider for information about disposal containers at the time your prescription is written.
- Free FDA-approved sharps containers may be ordered online by clicking here through the California Sharps Mail Back program. The pharmaceutical company that your injectable medication comes from may offer a free sharps container program.
Disposal Options:
- Most drop-off locations offer self-serve kiosks to place your FDA-approved sharps disposal container in. In order to fit, they must be no greater than one gallon in volume.
- Sharps can be dropped-off at many pharmacies, drugstores, household hazardous waste facilities, and police stations. Click for locations through Med-Project.
- Mail-back: Free shipping labels and envelopes to mail in your sharps container for safe disposal are available through Med-Project. Some pharmaceutical companies also offer free mail-back of sharps containers to their injectables patients.
