Well, the radiopharmacy I am negotiating with is a multistate corporation, and I am dealing with their Northern California location. The owner has been selling the decommissioned containers to recyclers for some time, so perhaps local rules apply that are, of all things, more relaxed here in Calfornia than for Dragon in Pennsylvania, or maybe since he is the boss, he just does it his way.
The radiopharmacies only deal with radioactive materials for medical uses like tracers, imaging and cancer therapy. They don't do regular prescription drugs, and only work with hospitals and other medical outfits, dispensing only the hot stuff and only by contract. The exact converse is true of pharmacies dispensing to the public, so your local CVS never sees the containers because they never deal in the materials they contain.
I may have had my foot in the door with the radiopharmacy I am dealing with, since I have the letters M and D tacked after my name, but I really think it was being politely persistent over months, plus the regular donation of high calorie/high palatability nutritional supplements (aka, cookies, donuts and other pastries) that did it. I found them via Google search filtered to my geographic area, and only tried one (there is another company in town as well) I think most major population centers will have at least one close by (the isotopes don't travel well, mostly having short useful half lives).
Don't give up yet!