Household Hazardous Waste
This item should never be put in a curbside bin. For more information visit our household hazardous waste page.
Needles & Syringes
A needle and syringe is a common delivery system for injectable medicines and other drugs, such as used diabetic test lancets and used or unused needles which are collectively called sharps.
It is illegal for needles and other sharps to be placed into trash or recycling containers. People hand sort at the start of the recycling process; keep them safe by not placing used needles in plastic containers and putting them in your recycling bin.
Sharps, syringes, needles, auto injectors, prefilled syringes with needle, and lancets should be in a sealed FDA cleared Sharps container. Sharps containers are available in most drug stores and from mail order & internet ecommerce sources. Kiosks in pharmacies, Hospitals and Police Departments can accept Sharps containers up to 1 gallon in size. HHW Facilities accept larger sharps containers.
Sharps containers are available in most drug stores and from mail order & internet e-commerce sources.
Free Mail-back containers mailed directly to your home are available by calling 1-844-633-7765 or visiting med-project.org, choose "Mail Back" to fill out an on-line order form. Novo Nordisk also has a free Mail-back container service for their customers: 1-877-438-0564.
Vendors
| Vendor | Address | City | Destination | Disposal Method | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CalRecycle's Where to Recycle Location Finder |
1001 I St PO Box 4025 |
Sacramento | Safe Disposal | Free Drop-off | https://calrecycle.ca.gov/epr/pharmasharps/sharps/ | |
| Shoreway Environmental Center (SEC) | 333 Shoreway Road | San Carlos | Safe Disposal | Free Drop-off | Public Recycling Center. Must be in an authorized Sharps container. | |
| North East Medical Services | 1400 Noriega Street | San Francisco | Safe Disposal | Free Drop-off | ||
| Mission Wellness Pharmacy (2424 Mission) | 2424 Mission | San Francisco | Safe Disposal | Free Drop-off | ||
| Walgreens | 745 Clement St. | San Francisco | Safe Disposal | Free Drop-off | ||
| Walgreens | 3400 Cesar Chavez St. | San Francisco | Safe Disposal | Free Drop-off | ||
| Walgreens | 2050 Irving St. | San Francisco | Safe Disposal | Free Drop-off | ||
| Walgreens | 1300 Bush St. | San Francisco | Safe Disposal | Free Drop-off | ||
| North East Medical Services | 2574 San Bruno Avenue | San Francisco | Safe Disposal | Free Drop-off | ||
| Walgreens | 790 Van Ness Ave. | San Francisco | Safe Disposal | Free Drop-off | ||
| Walgreens | 3601 California St. | San Francisco | Safe Disposal | Free Drop-off | ||
| Walgreens | 2100 Webster St. | San Francisco | Safe Disposal | Free Drop-off | ||
| Walgreens | 1301 Franklin St. | San Francisco | Safe Disposal | Free Drop-off | ||
| North East Medical Services | 1520 Stockon St. | San Francisco | Safe Disposal | Free Drop-off | ||
| Walgreens | 825 Market St. | San Francisco | Safe Disposal | Free Drop-off | ||
| Walgreens | 3801 3rd St. Suite 550 | San Francisco | Safe Disposal | Free Drop-off | ||
| Walgreens | 2120 Polk St. | San Francisco | Safe Disposal | Free Drop-off | ||
| Walgreens | 1301 Market St. | San Francisco | Safe Disposal | Free Drop-off | ||
| Walgreens | 1100 Van Ness Avenue | San Francisco | Safe Disposal | Free Drop-off | ||
| Walgreens | 550 16th Street | San Francisco | Safe Disposal | Free Drop-off |
