Safe Disposal of Home Sharps

California law prohibits the disposal of sharps waste, including needles, syringes and lancets, in the regular trash. Sharps waste poses a risk to trash collectors who may accidentally get stuck by a needle, syringe or lancet and be exposed to a disease.  Your children, pets, housekeepers, and janitors may also be at risk of a needle stick if needles are improperly stored or disposed.  

Click to watch "Drive Up, Drop Off" (Household Sharps Disposal Locations)

Used sharps may:

• injure people
• spread germs
• spread serious disease like HIV/AIDS, hepatitis, and tetanus

Sharps should not be:

• thrown in the trash
• flushed down the toilet
• placed in recycling containers

Put Sharps Waste in its Place!

• Ask your health care provider or pharmacist if they take back used needles, lancets, and syringes.

• Take your used needles, lancets, and syringes to drop-off collection sites (listed below for unincorporated residents) or household hazardous waste facilities.   Or you can search for a needle drop off location closest to your home on the County's waste / recycling database:  www.wastefreesd.org  

• Consider using a "Mail-Back" service for proper disposal (fees may apply).  

Residents of unincorporated communities may take their home-generated medical waste sharps in closed rigid containers no larger than 2 Liters (1/2 gallon) to approved residential sharps collection drop boxes at the following locations:

Sharps Waste brochure for unincorporated area residents ( English / Spanish ).

For more information on home-generated sharps management in unincorporated areas, or to find out where to pick up a free sharps container, contact the County of San Diego Household Hazardous Hotline at 1-877-R-1-EARTH (877-713-2784).