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 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| City of Richmond Drop-off Kiosk - Senior Center | 2525 MacDonald Ave | Richmond | 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 | |
| Walgreens | 4645 Mission St. | San Francisco | Safe Disposal | Free Drop-off | ||
| Walgreens | 25 Point Lobos Ave. | San Francisco | Safe Disposal | Free Drop-off | ||
| Walgreens | 1344 Stockton St. | San Francisco | Safe Disposal | Free Drop-off | ||
| Moraga Fire Station | 1280 Moraga Way | Moraga | Safe Disposal | Free Drop-off | Please place needles/sharps in an authorized sharps container before placing them in the collection receptacle. | |
| CVS Pharmacy (14869 E 14th) | 14869 East 14th St | San Leandro | 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. | |
| CVS Pharmacy (699 Lewelling Blvd) | 699 Lewelling Blvd | San Leandro | Safe Disposal | Free Drop-off | Drop-off Box inside for needles/syringes in FDA-approved Sharps Containers up to 1 gallon in size. | |
| Richmond Annex Senior Center | 5801 Huntington Avenue | Richmond | Safe Disposal | Free Drop-off | Must be in approved sharps container. | |
| MED-Project: Bay Area Meds Drop-Box Location Finder | 1800 M St, NW | Washington | Safe Disposal | Free Drop-off | Online location finder. hypodermic needles, pen needles, pre-loaded sharps, auto-injectors, intravenous needles, lancets, and other devices used to penetrate the skin for drawing blood, or for the delivery of medicines) contained in FDA-cleared sharps containers. Mail-Back Services are available for Residents upon request. | |
| 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 | |
| City of Palo Alto Household Hazardous Waste Station Program | 2501 Embarcadero Way | Palo Alto | Safe Disposal | Free Drop-off, Drop-off for a Fee | For commercial hazardous waste information, call the City's hazardous waste contractor (Clean Harbors) at 800-433-5060.,Must be in a rigid container with a sealed lid. | |
| Walgreens | 498 Castro St. | San Francisco | Safe Disposal | Free Drop-off | ||
| Walgreens | 2550 Ocean Ave. | San Francisco | Safe Disposal | Free Drop-off | ||
| Walgreens | 135 Powell St. | San Francisco | Safe Disposal | Free Drop-off | ||
| Mt. View Sanitary District (MVSD) | 3800 Arthur Rd. | Martinez | Safe Disposal | Free Drop-off | Please place needles/sharps in an authorized sharps container before placing them in the collection receptacle. | |
| Highland Hospital Outpatient Pharmacy | 1411 E. 31st St | Oakland | Safe Disposal | Free Drop-off | Drop-box inside. Sharps, syringes, needles, auto injectors, prefilled syringes with needle, and lancets should be in a sealed FDA cleared Sharps container. | |
| CVS Pharmacy (7200 Bancroft Ave) | 7200 Bancroft Ave | Oakland | Safe Disposal | Free Drop-off | Drop-off Box inside for needles/syringes in FDA-approved Sharps Containers up to 1 gallon in size. |
