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.
Drop-off Location Finder for Safe Disposal of Sharps Containers
"Sharps" include: syringes, hypodermic and pen needles, auto-injectors, pre- loaded sharps, intravenous needles and lancets. (Note: Treat Continuous Glucose Monitors (CGMs) as both "sharps" (aka the applicator) and ewaste (embedded battery and electronics).
During the recycling process, people hand pick items from the sort line. Please keep them safe by NOT placing sharps in your recycling, organics, or trash bins. Place all sharps in an sharps disposal container immediately after they have been used. This will reduce the risk of needle sticks, cuts, and punctures from sharps. Never flush sharps down the drain or toilet. For more information, please visit the Safe Disposal Information.
- Sharps containers are available in pharmacies, drug stores, and online. There are free kiosks/drop-boxes to place full sharps containers in at pharmacies, hospitals and police departments (up to 1 gallon in size). HHW Facilities may accept larger sharps containers.
Free Mail-Back Services in California: Free shipping labels and envelopes to mail in your sharps contained in a US FDA-cleared container for safe disposal are available through SharpsTakeBackCalifornia.org or by phone 844-482-5322.
- Some pharmaceutical companies offer free mail-back of sharps containers to their injectables patients. The pharmaceutical company that your injectable medication comes from may offer a free sharps container program.
California has an extended producer responsibility law in place that requires pharmaceutical companies to pay for convenient, safe disposal of Sharps. Alameda County was the first in the nation to pass a Sharps EPR bill.
Vendors
| Vendor | Address | City | Destination | Method | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Walgreens | 1580 Valencia St. | San Francisco | Recycle | Free Drop-off | ||
| West County HHW Collection Facility | 101 Pittsburg Ave. | Richmond | Recycle | Free Drop-off, Drop-off for a Fee | Accepted in approved sharps collection containers. | |
| Native American Health Center (Seven Directions) | 2950 International Blvd | Oakland | Safe Disposal | Free Drop-off | Sharps Kiosk inside for approved sharps containers. | |
| 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. | |
| CVS Pharmacy (2000 Driscoll Rd) | 2000 Driscoll Rd | Fremont | Safe Disposal | Free Drop-off | Drop-off Box inside for needles/syringes in FDA-approved Sharps Containers up to 1 gallon in size. | |
| North East Medical Services | 1520 Stockon St. | San Francisco | Safe Disposal | Free Drop-off | ||
| Tennyson Pharmacy | 589 W Tennyson Rd | Hayward | Safe Disposal | Free Drop-off | Drop-off Box inside for needles/syringes in FDA-approved Sharps Containers up to 1 gallon in size. | |
| 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 | 33 Drumm St. | San Francisco | Safe Disposal | Free Drop-off | ||
| Walgreens | 199 Parnassus Ave. | 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. | |
| Visitacion Valley Pharmacy | 100 Leland Ave. | 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 | |
| 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. | |
| CVS Pharmacy (4020 Fremont Blvd) | 4020 Fremont Blvd | Fremont | Safe Disposal | Free Drop-off | Drop-off Box inside for needles/syringes in FDA-approved Sharps Containers up to 1 gallon in size. | |
| Walgreens | 550 16th Street | San Francisco | Safe Disposal | Free Drop-off | ||
| Mission Pharmacy | 22138 Mission Blvd | Hayward | Safe Disposal | Free Drop-off | Drop-off Box inside for needles/syringes in FDA-approved Sharps Containers up to 1 gallon in size. | |
| Haller's Pharmacy & Medical Supply (37323 Fremont Blvd) | 37323 Fremont Boulevard | Fremont | Safe Disposal | Free Drop-off | Drop-off Box inside for needles/syringes in FDA-approved Sharps Containers up to 1 gallon in size. | |
| Walgreens | 790 Van Ness Ave. | San Francisco | Safe Disposal | Free Drop-off |
