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 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Walgreens | 2550 Ocean Ave. | San Francisco | Safe Disposal | Free Drop-off | ||
| Walgreens (High St) | 3434 High St | Oakland | 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. | |
| Visitacion Valley Pharmacy | 100 Leland Ave. | San Francisco | Safe Disposal | Free Drop-off | ||
| Safeway Pharmacy | 2020 Market Street | San Francisco | Safe Disposal | Free Drop-off | ||
| Stericycle (San Jose) | 189 Stauffer Blvd | San Jose | Safe Disposal | Pick-up for a Fee | Mailback Kits for homes | |
| City of Hercules - City Hall Drop-off Kiosk | 111 Civic Drive | Hercules | Safe Disposal | Free Drop-off | Must be in approved sharps container. | |
| Alamo Sheriff's Substation |
150 Alamo Plaza Suite C |
Alamo | Safe Disposal | Free Drop-off | Needles & Syringes must be in approved container and can be placed in the needles drop box. | |
| 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. | |
| 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 | 500 Geary St. | San Francisco | Safe Disposal | Free Drop-off | ||
| Walgreens | 2690 Mission 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. | |
| 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 | 1189 Potrero Ave. | San Francisco | Safe Disposal | Free Drop-off | ||
| Walgreens | 1201 Taraval St. | San Francisco | Safe Disposal | Free Drop-off | ||
| Richmond Fire Department Station #63 | 5201 Valley View Rd. | El Sobrante | Safe Disposal | Free Drop-off | Must be in approved sharps container. | |
| 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. | |
| MedPro Disposal |
1548 Bond St #106 |
Naperville | Safe Disposal | Pick-up for a Fee | Commercial quantity |
