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Needle Access and Needle & Medication Disposal

Medication and Needle/Syringe Disposal

  • Residents are encouraged to gather unused, expired, and unwanted medications and needles/syringes and dispose of them properly by using dedicated disposal sites. Medication and Needle/Syringe Disposal
  • If not disposed of properly, these items pose a hazard to our environment, children, pets as well as to others who may abuse them.
  • Disposal sites are located in many areas around the county and offer a very convenient, safe way to properly dispose of these items.
  • You can go to any of these sites, dispose of the medications and needles/syringes with no questions asked. 
  • Find a Medication and Needle/Syringe Disposal Site near you or call (716) 858-7695.

Needles/Syringes Access

  • Expanded Syringe Access Program (ESAP) - The Erie County Department of Health, along with representatives from the fields of Diabetes, HIV/AIDS, business, sanitation, law enforcement, pharmacy, spiritual, government, medicine and lay persons, created this partnership to safely dispose of used needles, syringes & lancets.
  • Persons who are age 18 years or older may legally obtain and possess hypodermic needles & syringes through ESAP without a medical prescription.
  • Licensed pharmacies, health care facilities, and health care practitioners who can otherwise prescribe hypodermic needles or syringes may register with the New York State Department of Health to sell or furnish up to 10 hypodermic needles or syringes to persons 18 years of age or older.
  • The Erie County Department of Health (ECDOH) is one of the distribution sites for limited free medical supplies, such as syringes, band aids, cotton, alcohol wipes, etc. for Erie County residents.
  • Find a Syringe Access & Exchange Program near you or call or call (716) 858-7695.

Additional Information & Resources

Contact 

Cheryll Moore
Medical Care Administrator
95 Franklin St., Room 911
Buffalo, NY 14202
Phone: (716) 858-7695
Fax: (716) 858-8701
Cheryll.Moore@erie.gov

Changed
01/06/2023 - 1:42 pm