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.
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 used needles in plastic containers and putting them in your recycling bin.
Sharps, syringes, needles, auto injectors, prefilled syringes with needle, and lancets should be in a sealed FDA cleared Sharps container. Sharps containers are available in most drug stores and from mail order & internet ecommerce sources. Kiosks in pharmacies, Hospitals and Police Departments can accept Sharps containers up to 1 gallon in size. HHW Facilities accept larger sharps containers.
Sharps containers are available in most drug stores and from mail order & internet e-commerce sources.
Free Mail-back containers mailed directly to your home are available by calling 1-844-633-7765 or visiting med-project.org, choose "Mail Back" to fill out an on-line order form. Novo Nordisk also has a free Mail-back container service for their customers: 1-877-438-0564.
Vendors
| Vendor | Address | City | Destination | Disposal Method | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 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 | 2494 San Bruno Ave. | San Francisco | Safe Disposal | Free Drop-off | ||
| 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. | |
| Needle Exchange Emergency Distribution (Durant Ave) | 2340 Durant Ave | Berkeley | 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 | 1333 Castro St. | San Francisco | Safe Disposal | Free Drop-off | ||
| 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. | |
| Walgreens | 4645 Mission St. | San Francisco | Safe Disposal | Free Drop-off | ||
| Lafayette Fire Station | 3338 Mt. Diablo Blvd. | Lafayette | Safe Disposal | Free Drop-off | Please place needles/sharps in an authorized sharps container before placing them in the collection receptacle. | |
| 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 | 25 Point Lobos Ave. | 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 (Hearst St) | Hearst Street @ San Pablo Ave | Berkeley | Safe Disposal | Free Drop-off | ||
| CalRecycle's Where to Recycle Location Finder |
1001 I St PO Box 4025 |
Sacramento | Safe Disposal | Free Drop-off | https://calrecycle.ca.gov/epr/pharmasharps/sharps/ | |
| Walgreens | 1344 Stockton St. | San Francisco | Safe Disposal | Free Drop-off | ||
| Pleasanton Transfer Station | 3110 Busch Rd. | Pleasanton | Safe Disposal | Free Drop-off | HHW drop-off for residents only | |
| Walgreens | 498 Castro 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. |
