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 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| City of Richmond Drop-off Kiosk - Senior Center | 2525 MacDonald Ave | Richmond | Safe Disposal | Free Drop-off | Must be in approved sharps container. | |
| Walgreens | 5300 3rd St. | San Francisco | Safe Disposal | Free Drop-off | ||
| 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. | |
| Walgreens | 670 4th St. | San Francisco | Safe Disposal | Free Drop-off | ||
| Kaiser Permanente Pharmacy (Livermore) | 3000 Las Positas Rd | 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 | 3201 Divisadero St. | San Francisco | Safe Disposal | Free Drop-off | ||
| Walgreens | 1630 Ocean Ave. | San Francisco | Safe Disposal | Free Drop-off | ||
| SMaRT Station | 301 Carl Rd | Sunnyvale | Safe Disposal | Free Drop-off | This item is hazardous and must be disposed of properly. Place sharps in biohazard or hard plastic container with screw-top lid marked \"sharps\". | |
| MedWaste California | 73 Beechwood Dr | Oakland | Safe Disposal | Pick-up for a Fee | ||
| Richmond Police Department | 1701 Regatta Blvd. | Richmond | Safe Disposal | Free Drop-off | Must be in an approved sharps container. | |
| 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. | |
| Richmond Annex Senior Center | 5801 Huntington Avenue | Richmond | Safe Disposal | Free Drop-off | Must be in approved sharps container. | |
| CVS (799 Beach St) | 799 Beach St | San Francisco | Safe Disposal | Free Drop-off | ||
| Walgreens | 730 Market St. | San Francisco | Safe Disposal | Free Drop-off | ||
| 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. | |
| Walgreens | 33 Drumm St. | San Francisco | Safe Disposal | Free Drop-off | ||
| Walgreens | 199 Parnassus Ave. | San Francisco | Safe Disposal | Free Drop-off | ||
| Walgreens | 1750 Noreiga St. | San Francisco | Safe Disposal | Free Drop-off | ||
| Central Drug Store | 4494 Mission St. | San Francisco | Safe Disposal | Free Drop-off | ||
| Sharps Solutions |
3563 Investment Blvd. Suite 6 |
Hayward | Safe Disposal | Pick-up for a Fee | Commercial quantity. Prepaid container program. |
