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 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Walgreens | 300 Montgomery St. | San Francisco | Safe Disposal | Free Drop-off | ||
| Walgreens | 965 Geneva Ave. | San Francisco | Safe Disposal | Free Drop-off | ||
| Koshland Pharm Compounding Pharmacy | 301 Folsom Street, Suite B | San Francisco | Safe Disposal | Free Drop-off | Pickup a FREE empty sharps collection container, fill it up, and return to the any participating SF pharmacy. | |
| Walgreens | 5300 3rd St. | San Francisco | Safe Disposal | Free Drop-off | ||
| Walgreens | 135 Powell St. | San Francisco | Safe Disposal | Free Drop-off | ||
| Walgreens | 3001 Taraval St. | San Francisco | Safe Disposal | Free Drop-off | ||
| Walgreens | 670 4th St. | San Francisco | Safe Disposal | Free Drop-off | ||
| Walgreens | 1363 Divisadero St. | San Francisco | Safe Disposal | Free Drop-off | ||
| Walgreens | 3201 Divisadero St. | San Francisco | Safe Disposal | Free Drop-off | ||
| CVS (799 Beach St) | 799 Beach St | San Francisco | Safe Disposal | Free Drop-off | ||
| Walgreens | 730 Market St. | San Francisco | Safe Disposal | Free Drop-off | ||
| Walgreens | 141 Kearny St. | San Francisco | Safe Disposal | Free Drop-off | ||
| Walgreens | 33 Drumm St. | San Francisco | Safe Disposal | Free Drop-off | ||
| Walgreens | 199 Parnassus Ave. | San Francisco | Safe Disposal | Free Drop-off | ||
| CVS (499 Haight St) | 499 Haight St | San Francisco | Safe Disposal | Free Drop-off | ||
| Stericycle (San Jose) | 189 Stauffer Blvd | San Jose | Safe Disposal | Pick-up for a Fee | Mailback Kits for homes | |
| CVS Pharmacy (1550 E 14th St) | 1550 E 14th St | San Leandro | Safe Disposal | Free Drop-off | Drop-off Box inside for needles/syringes in FDA-approved Sharps Containers up to 1 gallon in size. | |
| CVS Pharmacy (699 Lewelling Blvd) | 699 Lewelling Blvd | San Leandro | Safe Disposal | Free Drop-off | Drop-off Box inside for needles/syringes in FDA-approved Sharps Containers up to 1 gallon in size. | |
| CVS Pharmacy (14869 E 14th) | 14869 East 14th St | San Leandro | Safe Disposal | Free Drop-off | Kiosk inside. Sharps, syringes, needles, auto injectors, prefilled syringes with needle, and lancets should be in a sealed FDA cleared Sharps container. | |
| San Ramon Public Safety Complex |
2401 Crow Canyon Blvd (in the Police Department Lobby) |
San Ramon | Safe Disposal | Free Drop-off | Please place needles/sharps in an authorized sharps container before placing them in the collection receptacle (kiosk). |
