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 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| WM Think Green From Home | 172 98th Ave | Oakland | Safe Disposal | Pick-up for a Fee | Online service. Programs for residents and businesses. | |
| West County Wastewater | 2910 Hilltop Drive | Richmond | Safe Disposal | Free Drop-off | Must bein an approved sharps container. | |
| West County HHW Collection Facility | 101 Pittsburg Ave. | Richmond | Safe Disposal | Free Drop-off, Drop-off for a Fee | Accepted in approved sharps collection containers. | |
| Wellspring Pharmacy | 4184 C Piedmont Ave | Piedmont | Safe Disposal | Free Drop-off | Drop-off Box inside for needles/syringes in FDA-approved Sharps Containers up to 1 gallon in size. | |
| Waste Management, Inc. - MedWaste Tracker™ Sharps Return-Mail System |
1001 Fannin Suite 4000 |
Houston | Safe Disposal | Pick-up for a Fee | Seal syringes and lancets in the provided protective sharps container. Small amounts and commercial volumes | |
| Waste Management, Inc. - Medical Waste Collection Services |
1001 Fannin Suite 4000 |
Houston | Safe Disposal | Pick-up for a Fee | ||
| Walnut Creek Fire Station | 1050 Walnut Avenue | Walnut Creek | Safe Disposal | Free Drop-off | Please place needles/sharps in an authorized sharps container before placing them in the collection receptacle. | |
| Walnut Creek City Hall | 1666 North Main Street | Walnut Creek | Safe Disposal | Free Drop-off | Please place needles/sharps in an authorized sharps container before placing them in the collection receptacle. | |
| Walgreens (High St) | 3434 High St | Oakland | Safe Disposal | Free Drop-off | Drop-off kiosk inside. Syringes and auto-injectors in sharps containers up to 1 gallon in size. | |
| Walgreens (Castro Valley Blvd) | 3382 Castro Valley Blvd | Castro Valley | Safe Disposal | Free Drop-off | Drop-off kiosk inside. Syringes and auto-injectors in sharps containers up to 1 gallon in size. | |
| Walgreens (Adeline St) | 2801 Adeline St | Berkeley | Safe Disposal | Free Drop-off | Drop-off kiosk inside. Syringes and auto-injectors in sharps containers up to 1 gallon in size. | |
| Walgreens | 1201 Taraval St. | San Francisco | Safe Disposal | Free Drop-off | ||
| Walgreens | 200 West Portal Ave. | San Francisco | Safe Disposal | Free Drop-off | ||
| Walgreens | 3398 Mission St. | San Francisco | Safe Disposal | Free Drop-off | ||
| Walgreens | 730 Market St. | San Francisco | Safe Disposal | Free Drop-off | ||
| Walgreens | 1300 Bush St. | San Francisco | Safe Disposal | Free Drop-off | ||
| Walgreens | 2050 Irving St. | San Francisco | Safe Disposal | Free Drop-off | ||
| Walgreens | 3400 Cesar Chavez St. | San Francisco | Safe Disposal | Free Drop-off | ||
| Walgreens | 745 Clement St. | San Francisco | Safe Disposal | Free Drop-off | ||
| Walgreens | 1301 Franklin St. | San Francisco | Safe Disposal | Free Drop-off |
