Guide for Reuse, Repair, Recycling, and Safe Disposal
for Alameda County, Contra Costa County, and the City of Palo Alto
SEARCH
needles and syringes

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.

Household Hazardous Waste

This item should never be put in a curbside bin. For more information visit our household hazardous waste page.

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
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.
Casa Segura 100th Ave. & Pearmain St. Oakland Safe Disposal Free Drop-off
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.
Casa Segura 2313 San Pablo Ave Oakland Safe Disposal Free Drop-off
Orinda Police Department 22 Orinda Way Orinda Safe Disposal Free Drop-off Please place needles/sharps in an authorized sharps container before placing them in the collection receptacle.
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.
Piedmont Police Department 403 Highland Avenue Piedmont Safe Disposal Free Drop-off Drop-off Box inside for needles/syringes in FDA-approved Sharps Containers up to 1 gallon in size.
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.
CVS Pharmacy (3010 Bernal Ave) 3010 Bernal Ave Pleasanton Safe Disposal Free Drop-off Drop-off Box inside for needles/syringes in FDA-approved Sharps Containers up to 1 gallon in size.
CVS Pharmacy (6750 Bernal Ave) 6750 Bernal Ave Pleasanton Safe Disposal Free Drop-off Drop-off Box inside for needles/syringes in FDA-approved Sharps Containers up to 1 gallon in size.
Kaiser Permanente Pharmacy (Pleasanton) 7601 Stoneridge Dr
South 1 Pharmacy
Pleasanton Safe Disposal Free Drop-off Drop-off Box inside for needles/syringes in FDA-approved Sharps Containers up to 1 gallon in size.
Pleasanton Transfer Station 3110 Busch Rd. Pleasanton Safe Disposal Free Drop-off HHW drop-off for residents only
City of Richmond Drop-off Kiosk - Senior Center 2525 MacDonald Ave Richmond Safe Disposal Free Drop-off Must be in approved sharps container.
West County HHW Collection Facility 101 Pittsburg Ave. Richmond Recycle Free Drop-off, Drop-off for a Fee Accepted in approved sharps collection containers.
Richmond Annex Senior Center 5801 Huntington Avenue Richmond Safe Disposal Free Drop-off Must be in approved sharps container.
Richmond Police Department 1701 Regatta Blvd. Richmond Safe Disposal Free Drop-off Must be in an approved sharps container.
West County Wastewater 2910 Hilltop Drive Richmond Safe Disposal Free Drop-off Must bein an approved sharps container.
Veolia Environmental Services 1125 Hensley St Richmond Safe Disposal Mail-in for a Fee
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/
Don't Rush To Flush - Medication & Sharps Drop-box Location Finder California Product Stewardship Council
1822 21st St; Suite 100
Sacramento Safe Disposal Free Drop-off

Curbside Service

Questions? Comments?   We're here to help!      Get in touch!

Additional Tools

  • Item Search
  • Vendor Search
  • Information for Vendors

Grab the mobile apps for answers on the go:

Download on the App Store
Get it on Google Play
Brought to you by A public agency reducing waste in Alameda County since 1976.