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
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 needles/sharps in your recycling or trash bins. Sharps, syringes, needles, auto injectors, prefilled syringes with a needle, pen needles, and lancets should be placed in a sealed FDA-approved Sharps container. Sharps containers are available in pharmacies and drug stores, as well as online. There are kiosks/drop-boxes in pharmacies, hospitals and police departments can accept Sharps containers up to 1 gallon in size. HHW Facilities may accept larger sharps containers.
- Free FDA-approved sharps containers may be ordered online by clicking here through the California Sharps Mail Back program. The pharmaceutical company that your injectable medication comes from may offer a free sharps container program.
- Mail-back: Free shipping labels and envelopes to mail in your sharps container for safe disposal are available through Med-Project. Some pharmaceutical companies also offer free mail-back of sharps containers to their injectables patients.
California has an extended producer responsibility law in place that require pharmaceutical companies to pay for convenient safe disposal of Sharps. Alameda County was the first to pass a Sharps EPR bill in the nation.
Vendors
| Vendor | Address | City | Destination | Disposal Method | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Clayton Police Department | 6000 Heritage Trail | Clayton | Safe Disposal | Free Drop-off | Please place needles/sharps in an authorized sharps container before placing them in the collection receptacle. | |
| Safeway Pharmacy | 2020 Market Street | San Francisco | Safe Disposal | Free Drop-off | ||
| City of Hercules - City Hall Drop-off Kiosk | 111 Civic Drive | Hercules | Safe Disposal | Free Drop-off | Must be in approved sharps container. | |
| New Oakland Pharmacy #2 (388 9th St) | 388 9th St | Oakland | Safe Disposal | Free Drop-off | Drop-off Box inside for needles/syringes in FDA-approved Sharps Containers up to 1 gallon in size. | |
| Needle Exchange Emergency Distribution (Shattuck Ave) | 3124 Shattuck Ave | Berkeley | Safe Disposal | Free Drop-off | ||
| Alameda County Household Hazardous Waste Program (Fremont Facility) |
41149 Boyce Rd. (At the Fremont Transfer Station - follow the trucks) |
Fremont | Safe Disposal | Free Drop-off | Acceptance of standard size FDA approved sharps containers as well as larger than 1g sharps containers. CGM's (continuous glucose monitors) are accepted from residents using these at home with the sharp (&/or applicator) separated into an approved FDA approved sharps container, and the devices collected in a thick Ziploc bag. At drop-off, resident should inform HHW staff they have these medical devices. | |
| 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 (243 W Jackson St) | 243 West Jackson St | Hayward | Safe Disposal | Free Drop-off | Drop-off Box inside for needles/syringes in FDA-approved Sharps Containers up to 1 gallon in size. | |
| Walgreens | 500 Geary St. | San Francisco | Safe Disposal | Free Drop-off | ||
| Walgreens | 1300 Bush St. | San Francisco | Safe Disposal | Free Drop-off | ||
| Walgreens | 2690 Mission St. | San Francisco | Safe Disposal | Free Drop-off | ||
| Delta HHW Collection Facility | 2550 Pittsburg-Antioch Hwy | Antioch | Safe Disposal | Free Drop-off, Drop-off for a Fee | The Delta HHW Collection Facility Sharps Program is available to residents of East Contra Costa County. Please go to https://www.deltadiablo.org/sharps for more information and directions. | |
| El Cerrito Recycling + Environmental Resource Center | 7501 Schmidt Ln. | El Cerrito | Safe Disposal | Free Drop-off | Must be in a thick plastic container with a screw top lid.; Bin always locked seek staff for assistance (office and/or yard). Only for RecycleMore residents. | |
| Richmond Fire Department Station #63 | 5201 Valley View Rd. | El Sobrante | Safe Disposal | Free Drop-off | Must be in approved sharps container. | |
| MedPro Disposal |
1548 Bond St #106 |
Naperville | Safe Disposal | Pick-up for a Fee | Commercial quantity | |
| Republic Services, Inc. Mail Back Service | 42600 Boyce Rd | Fremont | Safe Disposal | Mail-in for a Fee | Includes razor blades, tattoo needles and piercing devices. - Sharps Mail-in program | |
| Stericycle (Hayward) | 30542 San Antonio St | Hayward | Safe Disposal | Pick-up for a Fee | Mailback Kits for homes | |
| Pleasanton Transfer Station | 3110 Busch Rd. | Pleasanton | Safe Disposal | Free Drop-off | HHW drop-off for residents only | |
| CVS Pharmacy (1500 1st St) | 1500 First St | Livermore | Safe Disposal | Free Drop-off | Drop-off Box inside for needles/syringes in FDA-approved Sharps Containers up to 1 gallon in size. | |
| Walgreens | 500 Parnassus Ave., Level J | San Francisco | Safe Disposal | Free Drop-off |
