Sharps Disposal NYC

The New York State Department of Health says all hospitals and nursing homes in the state must accept home sharps as a free community service. Call first and ask for the facility's sharps coordinator. They can tell you the hours and where to drop off. The city's open data listing adds that no ID is needed.

Pharmacies, clinics, community groups and other places in the state also run syringe drop boxes, the state health department says. Call before you go, because a site's details can change.

The City of New York publishes a list of pharmaceutical and syringe drop-off locations as open data. To see how many places take sharps, we downloaded the city's open data list of drop-off sites on October 6, 2026 (last updated by the city on October 6, 2026). It has 339 places in all. 201 of them take syringes and sharps. Here they are by borough:

The list also has places that take only medicines. We counted only the places the city marks as syringe and sharps drop-off sites. The city's list changes often, so call any site before you go.

The city's open data listing says to put household sharps in a leak-proof, puncture-resistant container labeled "Home Sharps, not for recycling." Then bring it to a collection center or drop-off site, or put it out as trash. Never put loose needles in the trash or the recycling.

The New York City Health Department says not to throw a found syringe in the trash or down a drain. To find the nearest place to get rid of one, call 311.

The city health department fact sheet says to wear gloves and use tongs or a dustpan. Put the syringe in a sharps container or a hard plastic bottle with a secure lid. Then call 311 to find a drop-off. Do not touch the needle with bare hands.

For other states, use the sharps disposal finder. Once your container is full, read sharps container disposal. Using pens? Read how to dispose of insulin pens. To ship a container, read sharps mail-back programs.