Sharps (Used Household Needles and Syringes) Disposal
Disposing of used needles, syringes and lancets (sharps) in the garbage can injure family members, the public or your garbage collector. We have safe convenient alternatives to throwing used household sharps in the garbage.
It's as easy as
- Purchase a sharps container from your local pharmacy.
- Place used household sharps in the container. Keep out of reach of children.
- Bring the full, closed container to one of the listed facilities for free disposal.
Properly disposing of your used sharps will help protect your family,
community, the public and environment.
ALL SHARPS MUST BE DISPOSED OF IN APPROVED SHARPS CONTAINERS.
PLEASE DO NOT THROW THEM IN THE TRASH.
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Definition of approved containers: Container must be rigid, puncture resistant, unbreakable, leak resistant with a tightly sealed lid and labeled "Sharps Waste" or with the International Biohazard label. No glass jars, soda bottles, or milk jugs are accepted. (These containers are not puncture proof.) |
Sharps disposable containers can be purchased at local pharmacies. If you have further questions, contact the Santa Clara County Department of Environmental Health, Medical Waste Management Programs at 408.918-3400.
The following County Fire stations have drop-off locations for used household needles and syringes:
Recepticals that resemble mailboxes are clearly marked, and located outside the stations. Sharps containers deposited in the receptical are picked up by Santa Clara County Environmental Health.
Other Disposal Options:
Household Hazardous Waste (HHW)
Deposit used home-generated sharps into an approved sharps container. When container is 3/4 full, permanently seal shut and make an appointment through HHW website at www.hhw.org or call 408.299.7300
Campbell
Kaiser Permanente - Campbell Medical Offices (Kaiser Members only)
220 E. Hacienda Avenue, Campbell 95008
408.871.6500
Cupertino
Cupertino Fire Station (listed above)
Acadia Veterinary Clinic (Customers only)
10012 N. Foothill Boulevard, Cupertino 95014
408.996.1030
Los Altos
Los Altos Pharmacy
225 2nd Street, Los Altos
650.948.1212
Palo Alto Medical Foundation – Los Altos Center (Patients only)
370 Distel Circle, Los Altos
650.254.5200
Los Gatos
El Camino Hospital – Los Gatos (Please go to Volunteer Desk)
815 Pollard Road, Los Gatos
408.378.6131
FMC Dialysis (Patients only)
14651 S. Bascom Avenue, Los Gatos
408.358.3791
Mission Oaks Campus of Good Samaritan Hospital
15891 Los Gatos-Almaden Road, Los Gatos
408.356.4111
Shannon Fire Station (listed above)
Summit Veterinary Hospital & Kennels
23291 Summit Road, Los Gatos
408.353.1113
Saratoga
West Valley Fire Station (listed above)
For a list of all Drop-Off Locations for Sharps Waste in Santa Clara County:
www.sccgov.org/SCC/docs/Environmental%20Health,%20Department%20of%20(DEP)/
attachments/HHW%20Attachments/Drop%20off%20locations%20for%20Sharp%20Waste.pdf
Mail-Back Systems
By using an approved mail-back system, you can dispose of your medical waste in a safe and economical fashion. These systems allow you to safely return your medical waste in an approved container to an appropriate medical waste treatment facility.
Current list of mail-back services authorized for use in California:
http://www.cdph.ca.gov/certlic/medicalwaste/Documents/MedicalWaste/SharpsMailBackList.pdf
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