Household Sharps
What You Should Do With Your Sharps
Package your needles, syringes, and other medical sharps into a safe sharps container, and take them to a sharps drop-off location or another participating pharmacy.
Background Information
The City of Madison and multiple Madison-area pharmacies operates a drop off collection program for used medical needles.
The City of Madison sharps disposal program is simple and free.
This program is for individuals only, not businesses.
Proper Disposal Guidelines
Contact your pharmacy to learn what their packaging requirement are.
Be sure to speak to a pharmacist with knowledge of the sharps program.
Most locations will accept a red plastic sharps container.
Some places may accept a thick-sided plastic laundry detergent bottle if properly labeled with "Biohazard" or "Sharps" sticker, but not all pharmacies will accept them this way.
Pharmacies need to keep their people safe from accidental pokes from needles.
If you need sharps stickers, they are available free of charge from participating pharmacies or by calling (608) 266-4681.
Sharps Drop-off Locations
Check with the pharmacy you use regularly or the one near your home.
They may offer their own program separate from the locations listed below.
- Community Pharmacy Eastside: 130 S Fair Oaks Ave
- CVS 2. S. Bedford Street
- CVS 6701 Mineral Point Road
- Forward Pharmacy: 5711 Monona Drive
- Neuhauser Pharmacy: 1875 Monroe Street
- Hy Vee Pharmacy 3801 E. Washington Avenue
- Hy Vee Pharmacy 675 S. Whitney Way
- Walgreen Pharmacy: 108 Cottage Grove Road
- Walgreen Pharmacy: 4518 Cottage Grove Road
- Walgreen Pharmacy: 5702 Raymond Road
- Walgreen Pharmacy: 6601 McKee Road
- Walgreen Pharmacy: 1725 Northport Drive
- Walgreen Pharmacy: 2909 E. Washington Avenue
- Walgreen Pharmacy: 3710 E. Washington Avenue
- Walgreen Pharmacy: 7810 Mineral Point Road
- Walgreen Pharmacy: 3700 University Avenue
- Walgreen Pharmacy: 4641 Verona Road
- Walgreen Pharmacy: 606 S. Whitney Way
- Walgreen Pharmacy: 2121 S. Park Street
- Walgreen Pharmacy: 311 E. Campus Mall
Options for Businesses
Businesses with sharps (such as acupuncturists, spas, tattoo artists, etc.) can contact Logistics Recycling Inc (LRI) at 608-257-7652 to establish local sharps collection.
There are many other businesses that also take and safely dispose of sharps.
Options include, but are not limited to, MedPro, Stericycle, and Veolia.
Other Options
Check with the Wisconsin DNR or Safe Needle Disposal for additional options.
Logistics Recycling Inc offers a mail back box program that you could utilize for a cost.
Other sharps disposal companies will also
Sharps Disposal is Required
State regulations require households to safely package sharps and bans sharps from disposal in a landfill unless they have been specially processed.
Many clinics and physicians will take back used needles and dispose of them properly, so please talk with your pharmacy.