Sharps Mail Back Program

The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) describes it this way: certain FDA-cleared sharps containers may be mailed to a collection site for proper disposal, usually for a fee. The fee depends on the size of the container. Follow the container maker's steps, because mail-back programs can have their own rules on how to label and seal the box.

Mail-back is useful when there is no drop-off site near you, or when your state bans sharps from the trash. To check your state's rule and local drop-offs first, use the sharps disposal finder.

1. Get a mail-back container. It comes with a box and a prepaid shipping label.
2. Put each used needle in it right after use.
3. When it reaches the fill line, close and seal it the way the maker says.
4. Pack it in the box it came with and mail it.

Use only the container and box the program gives you. Wisconsin's natural resources agency says the mail-back company should provide containers and packaging that meet US postal rules. Do not mail a homemade container.

We do not rank or recommend any company. Mail-back is a product sold by many medical waste firms, and their prices change. These are the government pages we found that describe mail-back, read on October 6, 2026:

The FDA also suggests asking the maker of your medicine if it gives a sharps container at no charge, and asking your insurer if it covers containers. See where to get a sharps disposal container.

CalRecycle writes that the home sharps program of the Drug Takeback Solutions Foundation was over as of June 30, 2026. Its page now names MED-Project as the group running California's industry-run program. If an older page sends you to a different California mail-back program, check CalRecycle's page first. For Los Angeles details, see sharps disposal in Los Angeles.

See sharps container disposal for the state by state trash rules.