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 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 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/ | |
| Shoreway Environmental Center (SEC) | 333 Shoreway Road | San Carlos | Safe Disposal | Free Drop-off | Public Recycling Center. Must be in an authorized Sharps container. | |
| Walgreens | 456 Mission St. | San Francisco | Safe Disposal | Free Drop-off | ||
| Walgreens | 2145 Market St. | San Francisco | Safe Disposal | Free Drop-off | ||
| Walgreens | 1979 Mission St. | San Francisco | Safe Disposal | Free Drop-off | ||
| Recology SF Household Hazardous Waste Facility | 501 Tunnel Ave. | San Francisco | Safe Disposal | Free Drop-off | Limit of 15 gallons or 125 pounds per day of all household hazardous waste. San Francisco residents only. Address verification required. Open Thursday-Saturday only from 8am-4pm. | |
| Walgreens | 459 Powell St. | San Francisco | Safe Disposal | Free Drop-off | ||
| Walgreens | 2494 San Bruno Ave. | San Francisco | Safe Disposal | Free Drop-off | ||
| Visitacion Valley Pharmacy | 100 Leland Ave. | San Francisco | Safe Disposal | Free Drop-off | ||
| CVS (799 Beach St) | 799 Beach St | San Francisco | Safe Disposal | Free Drop-off | ||
| Pharmaca Integrative Pharmacy | 925 Cole St | San Francisco | Safe Disposal | Free Drop-off | ||
| Walgreens | 4645 Mission St. | San Francisco | Safe Disposal | Free Drop-off | ||
| Walgreens | 25 Point Lobos Ave. | San Francisco | Safe Disposal | Free Drop-off | ||
| Walgreens | 1189 Potrero Ave. | San Francisco | Safe Disposal | Free Drop-off | ||
| CVS (499 Haight St) | 499 Haight St | San Francisco | Safe Disposal | Free Drop-off | ||
| Walgreens | 498 Castro St. | San Francisco | Safe Disposal | Free Drop-off | ||
| Walgreens | 2550 Ocean Ave. | San Francisco | Safe Disposal | Free Drop-off | ||
| Walgreens | 1201 Taraval St. | San Francisco | Safe Disposal | Free Drop-off | ||
| North East Medical Services | 1019 Clement Street | San Francisco | Safe Disposal | Free Drop-off | ||
| Mission Wellness Pharmacy (2424 Mission) | 2424 Mission | San Francisco | Safe Disposal | Free Drop-off |
