Safe Disposal for Needles & Sharps
Needles and other sharps should never be placed in your garbage, recycling, compost, or flushed down the toilet.
Proper disposal helps protect sanitation workers, waste facility employees, pets, and the community from accidental needle sticks and keeps hazardous waste out of the environment.
Why Proper Disposal Matters
Prevent Injuries
Prevent accidental needle-stick injuries to sanitation workers, recycling employees, family members, pets, and others.
Protect the Environment
Keeps sharps and medical waste out of landfills, waterways, and places where they don’t belong.
Free & Convenient
Multiple free drop-off locations throughout Marin County make safe disposal easy.
What Sharps Are Accepted
Needles & Syringes
Includes hypodermic needles and syringes.
Pen needles
Needles used with insulin and other medication pens.
Lancets & Other Accepted Sharps
How to Dispose of Sharps
1
Place sharps in an approved container
Use an approved, puncture-resistant sharps container with a secure lid. Never place loose needles in bags, boxes, or household containers.
Need a sharps container? Approved sharps containers can be picked up at participating locations, subject to availability. They are also available for purchase at many pharmacies and online retailers. See the list of pickup locations below.
2
Seal the container
When the container is about 3/4 full, securely seal it.
3
Take It to a Drop-Off Location
Take your sealed sharps container to a participating sharps drop-off location, including Marin HHW Facilities.
Where to Take Sharps Containers
Pickup & Drop-Off Locations
The following locations accept sealed household sharps containers for disposal and also offer approved sharps containers, subject to availability.
Walgreens
227 Shoreline Highway
Mill Valley
Walgreens
155 Northgate One
San Rafael
West Marin Pharmacy
11 Fourth Street
Point Reyes Station
Household Hazardous Waste Facilities
San Rafael HHW Facility
- Marin residents (except Novato)
- Business-generated sharps are not accepted.
-
565 Jacoby Street
San Rafael, CA 94901 - (415) 456-2665
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Residential Hours
Tuesday – Saturday, 8:00 a.m. – 3:30 p.m.
Closed Sunday & Monday
Novato HHW Facility
- Novato residents only
- Business-generated sharps are not accepted.
-
7576 Redwood Blvd
Novato, CA 94945 - (415) 892-7344
-
Residential Hours
Open four days a month. See website for dates.
Looking for Information About Medical Waste?
Zero Waste Marin provides disposal information for household sharps only. For all other residential medical waste, visit Marin County Environmental Health.
IMPORTANT DISPOSAL NOTICE
Do Not Place Needles or Sharps in Curbside Carts Never place needles, lancets, or other sharps in trash, recycling, or organics carts. Store them in an approved sharps container and take them to a Marin Household Hazardous Waste Facility to help protect sanitation workers and the community from accidental needle-stick injuries.