Guide for Reuse, Repair, Recycling, and Safe Disposal
for Alameda County, Contra Costa County, and the City of Palo Alto

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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.

Household Hazardous Waste

This item should never be put in a curbside bin. For more information visit our household hazardous waste page.

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
Walgreens 3601 California St. San Francisco Safe Disposal Free Drop-off
Walgreens 2100 Webster St. San Francisco Safe Disposal Free Drop-off
Walgreens 2120 Polk St. San Francisco Safe Disposal Free Drop-off
Walgreens 1979 Mission St. San Francisco Safe Disposal Free Drop-off
Recology SF Household Hazardous Waste Facility 501 Tunnel Ave. San Francisco Safe Disposal Free Drop-off Limit of 15 gallons or 125 pounds per day of all household hazardous waste. San Francisco residents only. Address verification required. Open Thursday-Saturday only from 8am-4pm.
Walgreens 965 Geneva Ave. San Francisco Safe Disposal Free Drop-off
Walgreens 3801 3rd St. Suite 550 San Francisco Safe Disposal Free Drop-off
Walgreens 4129 18th St. San Francisco Safe Disposal Free Drop-off
Walgreens 2141 Chestnut St. San Francisco Safe Disposal Free Drop-off
Visitacion Valley Pharmacy 100 Leland Ave. San Francisco Safe Disposal Free Drop-off
Walgreens 456 Mission St. San Francisco Safe Disposal Free Drop-off
Walgreens 2145 Market St. San Francisco Safe Disposal Free Drop-off
Walgreens 1189 Potrero Ave. San Francisco Safe Disposal Free Drop-off
Walgreens 459 Powell St. San Francisco Safe Disposal Free Drop-off
Walgreens 2494 San Bruno Ave. San Francisco Safe Disposal Free Drop-off
CVS (799 Beach St) 799 Beach St San Francisco Safe Disposal Free Drop-off
Walgreens 1201 Taraval St. San Francisco Safe Disposal Free Drop-off
Walgreens 1100 Van Ness Avenue San Francisco Safe Disposal Free Drop-off
Walgreens 4645 Mission St. San Francisco Safe Disposal Free Drop-off
Walgreens 25 Point Lobos Ave. San Francisco Safe Disposal Free Drop-off

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