Syringe Disposal | Multnomah County

There are safe ways to dispose of syringes you find on the ground.

Below you'll find information on how to pick them up, where to drop them off, and ways to get involved in cleaning up your neighborhood. 40 Ton Excavator

Follow this step-by-step guide on how to safely pick up and dispose of syringes

Some people use a tissue or napkin to pick up a discarded syringe, while others feel more comfortable wearing gloves, like gardening or kitchen gloves. Some people also use tongs, pliers or a trash grabber. That’s a good idea for anyone who is going to pick up a lot of syringes or who is going on a community clean-up.

Use an approved sharps container or a hard plastic container that cannot be punctured easily, such as an empty laundry detergent bottle.

Set the container on the ground

Drop the syringes in, one at a time, needle point down.

It's against the law to throw syringes in the garbage, even if they are in a secure plastic container. Instead, drop the container in one of these sharps collection boxes or Metro Facilities.

For more disposal options, or if you have questions about medical waste disposal, or find an illegal dump on public property, contact Metro at 503-234-3000. If you find discarded syringes in Portland’s city center and don’t feel comfortable picking it up, call Downtown Clean & Safe at 503-388-3888 to report the waste.

syringe drop box installed at the Lents fire station

No. It's against the law to throw syringes in the garbage, even if they are in a secure plastic container. Instead, drop the container in one of these sharps collection boxes or Metro Facilities. For more disposal options, contact Metro at 503-234-3000.

For maintenance and repair issues, please Metro’s RID Patrol at 503-234-3000.

Do not dispose of household medical sharps or other waste in syringe disposal boxes intended for community disposal. For households where syringes are used, place syringes in a sharps container and take them to a hazardous waste center:

Metro Central at 6161 NW 61st Ave, Portland, OR 97210

Metro South at 2001 Washington St, Oregon City, OR 97045

Free sharps disposal is not available for businesses. Group homes, residential care facilities and other commercial or business customers should contact Metro at 503-234-3000.

Contact the City of Portland Bureau of Planning and Sustainability at 503-823-7202 for city-organized cleanup dates and locations. Neighborhood Coalitions also schedule cleanup events:

East Portland Neighborhood Office (EPNO)

Neighbors West/Northwest (NW/NW)

North Portland Neighborhood Services (NPNS)

Northeast Coalition of Neighborhoods (NECN)

Southeast Uplift Neighborhood Coalition (SEUL)

Many neighborhoods and community groups are organizing clean up events. Talk to your local city government or neighborhood association about organizing an event close to home. Portland residents can find information about your neighborhood association from the City of Portland Office of Community & Civic Life at 503-823-4519.

Volunteer on a cleanup or find out about how to organize your own neighborhood clean up with SOLVE or Hands On Greater Portland.

Download this 4-step guide to easy syringe pick-up (English)

Syringe collection in 4 easy steps.

Arabic guide to syringe disposal. Download for postcards and handouts

Keep your streets safe and clean with our tips on how to properly dispose of used syringes

Here's how to keep our streets safe and clean by properly disposing of used syringes.

Instead, leave the plastic jar containing the syringe at one of the following locations

Everything you wanted to know about cleaning up our neighborhoods.

All your Frequently Asked Questions answered

Everything about the procedure for disposing of used syringes

Drop discarded sharps at any of these free 24-hour sharps drop boxes, or take them to one of these Metro waste facilities.

Everything you wanted to know about cleaning up our neighborhoods

Pick it up. Drop it in. Seal it up. Drop it off.