Pomona, CA Public Health Rules: Syringe Disposal (2026)

Pomona City Code Section 62-906 defines medical waste to include home-generated sharps waste when it is properly contained and brought by a patient, a member of the patient's family, or a person authorized by the enforcement agency to a point of consolidation approved under California Health and Safety Code Section 117904 or authorized under Section 118147. That definition folds household needles and other sharps into the same regulatory category as biohazardous, pathological and pharmaceutical waste generated by hospitals and clinics, all of which fall under the Medical Waste Management Act, Health and Safety Code Sections 117600-118360, enforced locally by the California Department of Public Health as the designated local enforcement agency.

Any facility that processes, treats or disposes of medical waste in Pomona must first obtain a franchise from the city council under Section 62-903 and satisfy land use and environmental approvals under Section 62-902. For residents, the more practical provision is Section 62-918, the host fee section governing that franchised facility: it authorizes the city to establish a number of public sites where households can drop off sharps containers for collection without the facility charging a gate fee or any other charge to the city.

The city council sets the franchise's host fee separately and can impose penalties, including suspension or termination of the franchise, if the operator fails to pay or otherwise violates the agreement, but those charges do not extend to residents using the free sharps drop-off sites.