Calgary disposal answer
Needles and sharps
Pharmacy · sealed sharps: black cart
Take needles and lancets to a participating pharmacy, or seal them in a labelled, puncture-resistant plastic container for the black cart.
How to prepare it
- Choose a rigid plastic container with a tight lid, such as a bleach bottle, laundry detergent jug or lidded pail.
- Write 'sharps' on the container with a permanent marker before it goes in the black cart.
- Skip cardboard boxes, which can rip or burst open.
- Ask your pharmacy whether it takes sharps; many also supply sharps containers.
- The same rules apply to glucose monitor sensors and applicators, Ozempic pens and EpiPens.
Good to know
Needles cannot be recycled, so keep them out of the blue cart and community recycling depots; the City's hazardous waste sites do not take biomedical waste either. If you find a discarded needle outdoors and are not comfortable picking it up, call or text Alpha House's Needle Response Team at 403-796-5334, available 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. daily.
Similar items
Where to drop it off
City Eco Centres at the Spyhill, Shepard and East Calgary landfills accept many items for free. Check today’s hours before you go.