Needles and Sharps Alternative ways to recycle Illegal in Garbage & Drains Special Instructions The San Luis Obispo County IWMA operates a FREE Home Generated Sharps Disposal Program. Dispose of used needles, syringes, lancets and other sharp objects in a free disposal container which is now available from area pharmacies. When the container is full, return it to the pharmacy and receive a new container. This service is free to households. Please no businesses. This program was established by San Luis Obispo County IWMA Ordinance No. 2008-2. Pharmacies in San Luis Obispo County Click on your community to find a pharmacy near you. Arroyo Grande | Atascadero | Cambria | Cayucos | Grover Beach | Los Osos | Morro Bay | Nipomo | Paso Robles | Pismo Beach | San Luis Obispo | Templeton Arroyo Grande CVS Pharmacy (Kiosk)1435 E. Grand Avenue | (805) 474-5720 Best Care Pharmacy (Kiosk)1051 E. Grand Avenue | (805) 481-1961 Cal Care Pharmacy (Kiosk) 1009 E. Grand Avenue | (805) 925-5511 Rite Aid1690 E. Grand Avenue | (805) 474-04691207 E. Grand Avenue | (805) 489-1830 Walmart1168 W. Branch Street | (805) 474-0900 Atascadero CVS Pharmacy (Kiosk) 8320 El Camino Real | (805) 466-0732 En Soleil Pharmacy (Kiosk)5735 El Camino Real | (805) 928-9000 Rite Aid 7025 El Camino Real | (805) 462-8722 Walgreens (Kiosk)8005 El Camino Real | (805) 462-9272 Cambria Cambria Drug & Gift (Kiosk)2222 Main Street | (805) 927-7283 Cayucos Cayucos Pharmacy (Kiosk)72 S. Ocean Avenue | (805) 995-3538 Grover Beach Vons1758 W. Grand Avenue | (805) 481-0877 Los Osos Los Osos Rexall Drug Store (Kiosk)989 Los Osos Valley Road | (805) 528-1017 Rite Aid1110 Los Osos Valley Road | (805) 528-5779 Ralphs1240 Los Osos Valley Road | (805) 528-0112 Morro Bay Morro Bay Drug & Gift (Kiosk)600 Morro Bay Boulevard Suite B, | (805) 771-9988 Rite Aid740 Quintana Road | (805) 772-6198 Nipomo Community Health Center (Kiosk)150 Tejas Place | (805) 270-1821 CVS Pharmacy (Kiosk)610 W. Tefft Street | (805) 929-2740 Nipomo Rexall Drug695 W. Tefft Street| (805) 929-1929 Vons520 W. Tefft Street | (805) 931-1850 Paso Robles Albertsons-Sav-On189 Niblick Road | (805) 237-1803 Brooklin Oaks Pharmacy 597 12th Street | (805) 296-3770 Community Health Center Pharmacy 416 Spring Street | (805) 238-7250 CVS Pharmacy (Kiosk)187 Niblick Road | (805) 238-2947 Rite Aid1151 Creston Road | (805) 239-30282424 Spring Street | (805) 239-3208 (CVS) inside Target2305 Theatre Drive | (805) 227-4304 Santa Cruz RX 3600 Dry Creek Rd Ste E3 | (805) 457-3801 Walmart180 Niblick Road | (805) 238-2626 Pismo Beach CVS Pharmacy (Kiosk)827 N. Oak Park Boulevard | (805) 473-1114 Model Drug911 Oak Park Boulevard | (805) 481-5111 Rite Aid531 Five Cities Drive | (805) 773-1825 San Luis Obispo Cal Poly State University Health Services Pharmacy 1 Grand Avenue, Bldg. #27 | (805) 756-5260 Community Health Center Pharmacy77 Casa Ste 204 |(805) 269-1500 Costco1540 Froom Ranch Way | (805) 541-7028 Conversio Health 720 Aerovista Pl Ste D | (805) 473-5178 CVS Pharmacy (Kiosk)3960 Broad Street | (805) 783-29031300 Madonna Road | (805) 549-0993717 Marsh Street | (805) 547-9888 Kohana Pharmacy181 Tank Farm Road | (805) 542-0864 Rite Aid1251 Johnson Avenue | (805) 545-0655956 Foothill Boulevard | (805) 543-5697 (CVS) inside Target11990 Los Osos Valley Road | (805) 858-9903 Vons3900 S. Broad Street | (805) 541-1132 Templeton Central Coast Pharmacy Specialists590A North Main Street | (805) 434-5999 Never Throw Away Do not throw needles or sharps in the trash. They put sanitation workers, friends and family at risk of needle pricks, which can cause infection and injury. Use Only Sharps Containers for Disposal To dispose of needles and sharps, place them in sharps containers and bring them to a designated sharps disposal facility. What Is Considered a Sharp? All of the following must be disposed of as sharps waste: hypodermic needles, pen needles, intravenous needles, lancets and other devices that are used to break the skin of people and animals. Alternative Ways to Recycle Mail-Back Programs for Injectable Pharmaceuticals Mail used sharps and pens back to the manufacturer of injectable pharmaceuticals. The following manufacturers accept sharps waste generated from their products: Enbrel® (Amgen), Neulasta® (Amgen), Novo Nordisk, Orencia® (Bristol-Myers) and Simponi® (Janssen Biotech, Inc.). Ways to Reduce Return Unused Sharps to a Needle Exchange Program Instead of dropping off unopened sharps at a disposal facility, consider taking them to a needle exchange program, such as MedShare. Find the nearest program. Did You Know? How Sharps Affect Sanitation Workers Disposing of sharps isn’t always convenient. At the same time, sharps in the trash and recycling pose a huge health risk to sanitation workers. If workers come across a needle hidden in trash, they can get struck and have to wait up to a year to know if they’ve contracted a blood-borne virus, such as hepatitis, tetanus, HIV/AIDS or syphilis.
