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 | 1524 Polk 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 | ||
| Reliable Rexall Sunset Pharmacy | 801 Irving St | San Francisco | Safe Disposal | Free Drop-off | ||
| Mission Wellness Pharmacy (2424 Mission) | 2424 Mission | San Francisco | Safe Disposal | Free Drop-off | ||
| Walgreens | 745 Clement St. | San Francisco | Safe Disposal | Free Drop-off | ||
| Koshland Pharm Compounding Pharmacy | 301 Folsom Street, Suite B | San Francisco | Safe Disposal | Free Drop-off | Pickup a FREE empty sharps collection container, fill it up, and return to the any participating SF pharmacy. | |
| Walgreens | 1630 Ocean Ave. | San Francisco | Safe Disposal | Free Drop-off | ||
| Central Drug Store | 4494 Mission St. | San Francisco | Safe Disposal | Free Drop-off | ||
| Walgreens | 500 Geary St. | San Francisco | Safe Disposal | Free Drop-off | ||
| Golden Gate Pharmacy | 1836 Noriega Street | San Francisco | Safe Disposal | Free Drop-off | Pickup a FREE empty sharps collection container, fill it up, and return to the any participating SF pharmacy. | |
| Walgreens | 2690 Mission St. | San Francisco | Safe Disposal | Free Drop-off | ||
| Alto Pharmacy | 1400 Tennessee St, Unit 2 | San Francisco | Safe Disposal | Free Drop-off | Pickup a FREE empty sharps collection container, fill it up, and return to the any participating SF pharmacy. Loose needles cannot be accepted. | |
| Walgreens | 790 Van Ness Ave. | San Francisco | Safe Disposal | Free Drop-off | ||
| Walgreens | 1750 Noreiga St. | 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 | |
| CVS Pharmacy (1550 E 14th St) | 1550 E 14th St | San Leandro | 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 (699 Lewelling Blvd) | 699 Lewelling Blvd | San Leandro | 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 (14869 E 14th) | 14869 East 14th St | San Leandro | Safe Disposal | Free Drop-off | Kiosk inside. Sharps, syringes, needles, auto injectors, prefilled syringes with needle, and lancets should be in a sealed FDA cleared Sharps container. | |
| San Ramon Public Safety Complex |
2401 Crow Canyon Blvd (in the Police Department Lobby) |
San Ramon | Safe Disposal | Free Drop-off | Please place needles/sharps in an authorized sharps container before placing them in the collection receptacle (kiosk). |
