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 | Disposal Method | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Walgreens | 2690 Mission St. | San Francisco | Safe Disposal | Free Drop-off | ||
| Walgreens | 1979 Mission St. | San Francisco | Safe Disposal | Free Drop-off | ||
| AHF Pharmacy | 4071 18th St. | San Francisco | Safe Disposal | Free Drop-off | Pickup a FREE empty sharps collection container, fill it up, and return to any participating SF pharmacy. Loose needles cannot be accepted. | |
| Safeway Pharmacy | 2020 Market Street | San Francisco | Safe Disposal | Free Drop-off | ||
| 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. | |
| MedWaste California | 73 Beechwood Dr | Oakland | Safe Disposal | Pick-up for a Fee | ||
| Alameda County Household Hazardous Waste Program (Livermore Facility) | 5584 La Ribera Street | Livermore | Safe Disposal | Free Drop-off | Acceptance of standard size 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. | |
| New Oakland Pharmacy (Lake Merritt) |
250 E 18th Street 3rd Floor |
Oakland | 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. 1g max size. | |
| CVS Pharmacy (4100 Redwood Rd) | 4100 Redwood Rd | Oakland | Safe Disposal | Free Drop-off | Drop-off Box inside for needles/syringes in FDA-approved Sharps Containers up to 1 gallon in size. | |
| Walgreens | 5260 Diamond Heights Blvd. | San Francisco | Safe Disposal | Free Drop-off | ||
| Walgreens | 275 Sacramento 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. | |
| Native American Health Center (Seven Directions) | 2950 International Blvd | Oakland | Safe Disposal | Free Drop-off | Sharps Kiosk inside for approved sharps containers. | |
| Stericycle (San Jose) | 189 Stauffer Blvd | San Jose | Safe Disposal | Pick-up for a Fee | Mailback Kits for homes | |
| Richmond Fire Department Station #63 | 5201 Valley View Rd. | El Sobrante | 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. | |
| Sharps Solutions |
3563 Investment Blvd. Suite 6 |
Hayward | Safe Disposal | Pick-up for a Fee | Commercial quantity. Prepaid container program. | |
| Richmond Police Department | 1701 Regatta Blvd. | Richmond | Safe Disposal | Free Drop-off | Must be in an approved sharps container. | |
| Access Pharmacy | 2693 Fruitvale Ave | Oakland | 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. 1g max container size. |
