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. During the recycling process, people hand; 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 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 offer free mail-back of sharps containers to their injectables patients.
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 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Casa Segura | 100th Ave. & Pearmain St. | Oakland | Safe Disposal | Free Drop-off | ||
| Walgreens | 88 Spear St. | San Francisco | Safe Disposal | Free Drop-off | ||
| Walgreens | 459 Powell St. | San Francisco | Safe Disposal | Free Drop-off | ||
| Walgreens | 1750 Noreiga St. | San Francisco | Safe Disposal | Free Drop-off | ||
| Walgreens | 2494 San Bruno Ave. | San Francisco | Safe Disposal | Free Drop-off | ||
| Central Drug Store | 4494 Mission St. | San Francisco | Safe Disposal | Free Drop-off | ||
| 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. | |
| MedWaste Management |
5830 W. 3rd St Unit 331 |
Los Angeles | Safe Disposal | Pick-up for a Fee | ||
| Walgreens | 1175 Columbus Ave. | San Francisco | Safe Disposal | Free Drop-off | ||
| New Oakland Pharmacy (333 9th St) |
333 9th St b/t Webster St & Franklin 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. | |
| Casa Segura | 2313 San Pablo Ave | Oakland | Safe Disposal | Free Drop-off | ||
| Walgreens | 965 Geneva Ave. | San Francisco | Safe Disposal | Free Drop-off | ||
| Alameda County Household Hazardous Waste Program (Hayward Facility) | 2091 West Winton Avenue | Hayward | 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. | |
| Walgreens | 4645 Mission St. | San Francisco | Safe Disposal | Free Drop-off | ||
| Walgreens | 1899 Fillmore St. | San Francisco | Safe Disposal | Free Drop-off | ||
| Walgreens | 25 Point Lobos Ave. | 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. | |
| Veolia Environmental Services | 1125 Hensley St | Richmond | Safe Disposal | Mail-in for a Fee | ||
| 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. | |
| Berkeley Police Department | 2100 Martin Luther King Jr Way | Berkeley | Safe Disposal | Free Drop-off | Drop-off Box inside for needles/syringes in FDA-approved Sharps Containers up to 1 gallon in size. |
