Check out our "sharps" video by clicking below:

Ouch!  No one wants to get stuck with your old sharps. Keep all sharps and disposal containers out of reach of children. Do not attempt to bend or break any needle or syringe, and do not try to replace the cap on needles.

NEW! CLICK HERE to request a free sharps mail-back container from MED-Project!

You will receive a sharps container and free shipping label. Once your container is filled, simply mail the package back at your nearest US Post Office. MED-Project offers these containers for free because of the new product stewardship law, SB 212.

Free mail-back containers also offered by MarBorg, Waste Management, & E.J. Harrison

For residential customers living in the unincorporated area of Santa Barbara County and in the cities of Buellton, Carpinteria, Goleta, Santa Barbara, and Solvang, MarBorg Industries, Waste Management, and E.J. Harrison & Sons now provide free, postage-paid mail-back containers for home-generated sharps. To order a container, simply call your hauler. Visit our Waste Hauler page for contact information.

What are sharps?

Home-generated sharps, or simply "sharps", are needles, syringes with needles, and disposable lancets like the type diabetics use to test their insulin levels.

What's the proper way to store my sharps?

Please collect your sharps in an approved container made of rigid, thick-walled plastic. The containers should be clearly marked with a biohazards label.

You can request a free container by mail as described above. Free sharps containers are also available from the County at the County clinic locations listed below. Containers can also be obtained at local pharmacies and through medical supply companies. Examples are included in the listings below.

Where can I dispose of my sharps?

It is illegal to put sharps (even if properly contained) in the trash. Use a mail-back program or take your sharps to one of the locations listed below. Please download our sharps brochure for more information.

What if I have a lot of sharps?

If you ever need to dispose of many sharps (over a gallon or more), you can arrange for a company to come haul them away for you. Some companies will even clean biohazard waste. Ecowaste offers larger volume sharps pick-ups. Their service prices are based on location, volume of waste, type of waste, etc., and ranges from $85-$135 for small-scale pickups. Ecowaste can provide the containers and will transport the material to licensed treatment facilities for either incineration or auto-clave.

What about business sharps?

Tattoo parlors, medical facilities, acupuncture clinics, veterinary offices and other businesses produce sharps waste. Once again, it is illegal to put sharps (even if properly contained) in the trash. Businesses cannot use the residential sharps programs listed above. Check out our hazardous waste hauler page for hazardous and biohazardous waste collection options. Not every business listed on that page collects bio waste.

Where to go

• Carpinteria Area (1)

  • Santa Barbara County Public Health Department, Carpinteria Clinic — 931 Walnut Avenue

• Santa Barbara Area (2)

  • Santa Barbara County Public Health Department, Franklin Clinic — 1136 East Montecito Street
  • Santa Barbara County Public Health Department, Santa Barbara Clinic — 345 Camino del Remedio

• Lompoc Valley & VAFB (1)

  • Santa Barbara County Public Health Department, Lompoc Clinic — 301 North R Street

• Santa Maria Valley (2)

  • City of Santa Maria Household Hazardous Waste Facility — 2065 East Main Street
  • Santa Barbara County Public Health Department, Santa Maria Clinic — 2115 South Centerpointe Parkway

• Outside Santa Barbara County (10)

  • Earth911.com – Information Only — 3481 Plano Parkway
  • EnviroMed Safety and Compliance —
  • GRP & Associates, Inc. — 218 10th Avenue North
  • Medasend Biomedical, Incorporated — 12340 Seal Beach Boulevard, #239
  • MedPro Waste Disposal — 1548 Bond Street #106
  • Sharps Compliance, Inc. — SCI Mail Sharps Disposal System, 9220 Kirby Drive, Suite 500
  • Stericycle, Incorporated —
  • Waste and Compliance Management, Inc. — 6054 Corte del Cedro
  • Waste Management Incorporated, Think Green from Home —
  • XMED Medical Waste Disposal, Inc — 2126 Metro Circle