Personal sharps disposal

If you live in Seattle

It is illegal to dispose of sharps in your regular garbage can or recycling container. The City of Seattle provides disposal drop boxes throughout the city. For more information on sharps disposal locations in the City of Seattle, including a list of drop-off locations, which include the North & South Transfer Stations, please view Seattle Public Utilities' Sharps Collection. 

Transfer Stations

North Transfer Station, 1350 N 34th St, Seattle, WA

South Transfer Station, 130 South Kenyon Street, Seattle, WA

Another option is the outdoor, 24/7 drop box at the Downtown Public Health Center at 2124 4th Ave, Seattle.

• Phone: 206-477-8300

NOTE: If your items will not fit in the drop box, please bring them inside to the Health Center's reception desk. If you encounter this problem when the clinic is closed, you may need to return to the clinic and dispose of your sharps during normal business hours (Monday to Friday, 8 am to 5 pm) in order to ensure safety for all.

If you live in King County outside Seattle city limits

In King County, safely containerized sharps can be disposed of, free of charge, at the following drop box locations:

Transfer Stations

• Bow Lake Recycling & Transfer Station, 18800 Orilla Rd S, Tukwila, WA
• Factoria Recycling & Transfer Station, 13800 SE 32nd St, Bellevue, WA
• Shoreline Recycling & Transfer Station, 2300 N 165th St, Shoreline, WA
• Vashon Recycling & Transfer Station, 18900 Westside Hwy SW, Vashon, WA

Other options include the outdoor, 24/7 drop boxes at the Public Health Centers listed below:

• Auburn Public Health Center, 901 Auburn Way North, Suite A, Auburn. 206-477-0600
• Federal Way Public Health Center, 33431 13th Place S, Federal Way. 206-477-6800

NOTE: If your items will not fit in the drop box, please bring them inside to the Health Center's reception desk. If you encounter this problem when the clinic is closed, you may need to return to the clinic and dispose of your sharps during normal business hours (Monday to Friday, 8 am to 5 pm) in order to ensure safety for all.

Sharps disposal options: mail back services and returning sharps to your doctor's office or pharmacy

Mail Back Sharps Disposal:

There are several companies that offer mail-in sharps disposal services. Customers purchase sharps containers, shipping packaging, and shipping labels from the businesses. When the sharps containers are full, customers mail the containers, in the special packaging, back to the company. Please check with each individual company for the most current information and requirements.

Returning sharps to your doctor or pharmacy

• Some doctor offices and pharmacies will take back containerized used sharps.
• Pharmacies may also sell sharps containers.
• Check with your doctor’s office or local pharmacy for availability, container requirements, and disposal fees.

King County Needle Exchange

The King County Needle Exchange is a harm reduction program for persons who use injection drugs. The Needle Exchange provides sterile injection equipment, naloxone, other harm reduction supplies and health education and disease prevention materials. It also provides screening for HIV, hepatitis, and other blood-borne illnesses, treatment for wounds and abscesses, and assistance getting into drug treatment and other social services.

Used syringes are collected from customers at no charge and are safely disposed of as commercial biomedical waste. Needle Exchange accepts used sharps and syringes that are loose, as well as used equipment that is stored in containers.

Needle exchange has been successful in keeping the rate of HIV very low among people who inject drugs in King County. It also protects drug users' families, their sexual partners, and their children, and works to reduce the impact of fatal and non-fatal overdoses in King County.

See Needle Exchange locations, operating hours, and more.