Where can I take sharps for disposal at Walgreens?
On pages retrieved 2026-07-31, Walgreens and CVS publish no sharps list. Rite Aid publishes nothing. San Francisco Environment Department lists 30 Walgreens and one CVS. Safe Needle Disposal lists 55 Walgreens and 64 CVS locations in California.
| Programme | Who publishes it | What it accepts, in the publisher's words | Where it operates | Cost as published | Conditions the publisher states | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| San Francisco drop-off network | San Francisco Environment Department | “Take to a designated drop-off location or request a free mail-back package”; the page is headed “Syringes, needles”. | San Francisco Environment Department lists 50 named drop-off locations in San Francisco. | Not stated | San Francisco Environment Department states: “Drop-off locations DO NOT ACCEPT LOOSE NEEDLES”; “No business waste”; eligibility is Residents. A sharps collection container is free. | San Francisco Environment Department — Syringes, needles |
| San Francisco free sharps mail-back package | San Francisco Environment Department | Syringes, needles | San Francisco | At no cost | San Francisco Environment Department lists accepted customers as Residents. The package includes a sharps collection container and prepaid shipping label. The body text gives (844) 633-7765; the listing contact field also shows (844) 482-5322. | San Francisco Environment Department — Order a free sharps mail-back package |
| MED-Project California sharps mail-back | MED-Project LLC | “Sharps (such as 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 medications) contained in U.S. Food and Drug Administration-cleared sharps containers are accepted.” | California | Not stated | MED-Project states availability to all residents upon request. Not accepted: controlled substances, unwanted medicine separate from sharps, batteries, illicit or illegal drugs, and biologics such as insulin. USPS General Delivery is available when a permanent address is not available. | MED-Project LLC — California sharps mail-back |
| New York hospitals and nursing homes | New York State Department of Health | Home-generated sharps | New York State hospitals and nursing homes | Free, community service; NYS DOH states acceptance is mandated by law. | Not stated | New York State Department of Health — NYS Safe Sharps Collection Program |
| New York registered pharmacies | New York State Department of Health | “Only household sharps (household sharps include lancets, hypodermic needles and syringes used by individuals outside of health care settings) may be accepted by pharmacies.” Sharps generated by a licensed health care provider offering services in the home, for example, may not be accepted. | Registered pharmacies participating in New York State | Not stated | NYS DOH requires registration with NYSDOH and compliance with NYSDEC regulated medical waste regulations. Sharps brought to a pharmacy must be in sealed, rigid, puncture resistant, leak-proof containers. Collection may use a secured kiosk or drop box, or pharmacy staff may receive already-sealed containers. | New York State Department of Health — Pharmacy guidelines |
How to read the disposal listings
The company pages answer a narrower question than a location directory. Walgreen Co.’s Safe Medication Disposal page describes select-location kiosks, DisposeRx packets, prepaid Seal and Send envelopes, and other options; its store locator’s only disposal filter is “Medication Disposal Kiosk.” CVS Pharmacy’s rendered medication-unit page places “Needles/syringes or sharp containers” under Not accepted, while its help page says sharps containers are sold and refers sharps disposal to FDA guidance. Rite Aid’s retrieved pharmacy page publishes nothing about sharps or medication take-back.
Identify the programme by its publisher and stated scope. San Francisco Environment Department has separate drop-off and mail-back entries: the drop-off listing names locations and a free sharps collection container, while the mail-back listing names syringes and needles and describes a prepaid mail-back package at no cost. MED-Project’s California service separately names FDA-cleared sharps containers and lists controlled substances, unwanted medicine separate from sharps, batteries, illicit or illegal drugs and biologics such as insulin as not accepted.
Common mistakes include treating a directory address as Walgreens’ own published policy, and treating a free container as proof that drop-off has no fee. San Francisco Environment Department states that information is constantly changing and says hours and service availability should be confirmed ahead of a visit.
Walgreens needle disposal
Walgreens’ rendered disposal page describes medication kiosks. It never mentions needles or syringes. CVS Pharmacy’s medication take-back page does publish the exclusion “Needles/syringes or sharp containers.” Rite Aid’s retrieved pharmacy page contains nothing about sharps.
Safe sharp disposal routes
FDA states that sharps disposal guidelines and programmes vary depending on where a person lives. FDA lists four possible route categories: drop box or supervised collection sites, household hazardous waste collection sites, mail-back programmes, and residential special waste pick-up services. Safe Needle Disposal names pharmacies, hospitals, health clinics, health departments, community organizations, police and fire stations and medical waste facilities among possible collection settings.
Where to buy
Nothing here was purchasable when this page was last checked. The one retail mail-back kit in these sources is BD Sharps Disposal by Mail, Worry-Free Sharps Container & Prepaid Postage, Simply Mail It In, Transparent, 1 Count (Pack of 1). It showed $32.99 on 2026-07-31 and read as unavailable on 2026-08-01, so the link is there to check rather than to buy. Amazon’s listing gives a 1.4-quart capacity, prepaid postage approved by USPS, and capacity for 70–100 insulin syringes or 300 pen needles or lancets — product details, not program rules. Every free route on this page is a programme, not a product: San Francisco’s mail-back package and New York’s hospitals and nursing homes both publish no charge.
Sources
- Walgreen Co. — Safe Medication Disposal
- Walgreen Co. — Store locator
- CVS Pharmacy — Medication Disposal Near Me
- CVS Pharmacy — Help: Disposing of Medication and Sharps
- Rite Aid — Pharmacy
- US FDA — Best Way to Get Rid of Used Needles and Other Sharps
- Safe Needle Disposal — Disposal Options
- Safe Needle Disposal — California state directory
- San Francisco Environment Department — Syringes, needles
- San Francisco Environment Department — Free sharps mail-back package
- MED-Project LLC — California sharps mail-back
- New York State Department of Health — NYS Safe Sharps Collection Program
- New York State Department of Health — Pharmacy guidelines
- Amazon — BD Sharps Disposal by Mail
Specifications last verified: 2026-08-01