Pharmaceutical Take Back

Summary of Pharmaceutical Take Back: 

  • Medication should NEVER be discarded down the drain.

    Med TakeBack Icon

  • Unused, expired and unwanted medication is a health and safety risk, as well as a potential threat to waterways.
  • Since 2007 Police and Pharmacies offered collection programs for most medications with funding from the Illinois EPA.
     
  • 2014 DEA reuglation changes expanded the types of medications pharmacies could accept subject to permit changes. More pharmacies began accepting medications from customers for disposal.
     
  • Illinois EPA was funding dispsoal at a cost of nearly one million dollars annually.

  • In 2022 the Illinois Drug Take Back law passed and by December 1, 2023, interested police department in Will County was eiligible to receive collection and destruction service through a manufacturers group. In addition private pharmacies were also eligible to be funded through Pharmaceutical manufactuers.  The law allows every Illinois county to be entitled to at least one medication collection location per 50,000 residents, financed by pharmaceutical manufacturers. The groups are Inmar and MedProject.

  • This law frees the Illinois EPA from collection and disposal resposibility, with a projectied savings of $1 million annually to be used for other collection programs. All Household Hazardous Waste collection sites, partially funded by the IEPA, have stopped collecting medication.

  • DEA collection days are national events and may continue but Will County shall cease collections at our Household Hazardous Waste collection events at the end of 2023 in light of the Illinois Drug Take Back Act expanding collection throughout the area year round.

Protect the Water and Acquatic Life

This program protects Will County water resources, while reducing the materials going to local landfills. Each year thousands of tons of pharmaceuticals and personal care products enter the waste stream. Several United States Geological Survey studies over the past 7 years have found that many pharmaceuticals are surviving water treatment facilities and making their way into drinking water. The very medications that help people may be a concern to aquatic life.
 

Drop-Off Instructions

  • Bring only residentially generated medication items. No medications from businesses or doctor’s offices can be taken.
  • Use a permanent marker to black out your name or personal information on the label.
  • Take medications to pharmacy or collection site during drop-off operation hours ONLY.
  • Please follow directions at the drop-off site. Most sites have a collection kiosk.
  • This is not a share or reuse opportunity. All medications received will be destroyed in the most environmentally sound manner possible.

Most up to date listing of locations may be found at SAFE MEDICATION RETURN

 
Items Accepted  (Expired or Unwanted) Items NOT Accepted
Prescription Medications Illegal Drugs
Over-the-Counter Medications Bio-Hazardous Materials
Medicated Ointments Sharps / Needles (see bottom of page)
Medicated Shampoos Radioactive Materials
Liquids Containing Medications Other Household Wastes
Prescription Inhalers Glass Thermometers (contain mercury)
Over-the-Counter Inhalers Medical devices containing mercury
Narcotic Medications (blood pressure units, barometers, etc.)
Pet Medications  
   
  

 

Protect Personal Information when disposing prescriptions

The label of a prescription bottle shows personal data, such as your name, your doctor’s name, the type of medication, the number of refills allowed and the date of the current refill. In the wrong hands, this data could be harmful to you or a drug abuser. Therefore it is always important for you to black out your personal data on the label with a permanent black marker before disposing of the product in any manner.
 

ACCIDIENTIAL MISUSE

If you accidentally repeat a dosage, take an expired medication or otherwise misuse your medication, call the Poison Control Center at 800-222-1222.
 

Needles/Sharps are NOT accepted:

Needles, or sharps as they are also called, that are used in the home for self-injection (such as insulin shots) are currently permissible to discard with regular garbage using a rigid container (such as a milk jug, coffee container or laundry bottle) sealed with duct tape.
 
Residents may also use a bio-hazard container and pay for bio-hazard disposal service through several companies. Occasionally a doctor's office, hospital or other medical provider will offer disposal service to their clients.
 
Three communities include service to take sharps from residents for biohazard disposal: Joliet, Plainfield, Shorewood.
Call 800-449-7587 
 
A national sharp drop-off directory is being worked on: 
 

 

 

Sharps generated by hospitals, medical offices, traveling nursing services, etc. are required to be disposed as bio-waste through a commercial bio-hazard disposal service.

 

 

Pharmaceutical Drop-Off Locations: Click for Statewide Listing

Aurora

Medical Park Pharmacy
403 W. Galena Blvd, Ste 210
Aurora, IL 60506

The Compounder Pharmacy
340 Marshall Avenue Suite 100
Aurora, IL 60506

Walgreens 06937
1221 N Lake St
Aurora, IL 60506

Presence Mercy Medical Center
1325 N Highland Ave
Aurora, Illinois 60506

Beecher

Beecher Police Department
724 Penfield Street
708-946-6388

Hours: Mon-Fri 8:30am-5pm

Bolingbrook

Meijer Pharmacy
225 N Weber Road

Meijer Pharmacy
755 E Boughton Road

Walgreens
101 Lily Cache Lane

Braidwood

Braidwood Police Dept
141 W Main Street
815-858-2342 (call first)

CVS
230 S Comet Drive

 

Channahon

Channahon Police Dept
24555 S Navajo Drive
815-941-3256

Hours: 24/7 inside entrance

 


 

Crest Hill

Crest Hill Police Dept
20690 City Center Boulevard
(near White Oak Library)
815-741-5111

Hours: 24/7 inside entrance

Elwood

Elwood Police Dept
401 Mississippi Avenue
815-423-5411

Hours: Mon-Fri 8:30am-5pm

 

Homer Glen

Meijer Pharmacy
14169 S Bell Road

Joliet

Basinger's City Center
300 N Ottawa Street

Basinger's on Essignton
2202 Essington Road, Suite 104

CVS
809 Plainfield Road

Joliet

J.D. Brown Pharmacy
837 Plainfield Road (Rt 30)

St. Joseph Medical Center
333 N Madison Street

Walgreens
1801 Ingalls   

Will County Sheriff
16911 W Laraway Road
815-727-8575
Hours: Drop-Box 24/7

Lemont

Lemont Police Dept
14600 127th Street 
630-257-2229 x2478
Hours: Drop-Box 24/7

Lockport

Lockport Police Dept
1212 Farrell Road
815-838-2132

Hours: Mon-Fri 8:30am-5pm

Mokena

Meijer Pharmacy
11305 Lincoln Highway

Mokena Pharmacy
10937 Front Street, Unit C

Walgreens
20002 Wolf Road

Mokena

Mokena Police Dept
10907 Front Street
708-479-3912

Hours: Drop-Box 24/7

 

Naperville

Walgreens
2719  Hassert Blvd

Walgreens
3035 Bood Road

Walgreens
63 W 87th Streety

 

New Lenox

Walgreens
466 Nelson Road 

Walmart
501 E Lincoln Hwy

 

New Lenox

New Lenox Police Dept
208 Veterans Parkway
815-462-6100

Hours: Drop-Box 
Monday-Friday 8am-5pm
(excluding holidays)

 


 

Peotone

Peotone Police Department
208 E. Main Street
708-258-3279

Hours: Drop-Box 
Monday-Friday 9am-3pm
(excluding holidays)

 

Plainfield

Meijer Pharmacy
13521 S. Route 59


Plainfield Police Department
14300 Coil Plus Drive 
815-436-6544
Hours: Mon-Fri 9am-3pm

Romeoville

Meijer Pharmacy
347 N Independence Blvd

Romeoville Police Department
1050 W Romeo Road 
815-886-7219

Hours: Drop-Box 24/7
(Seperate Collection container for Sharps)

 

Rockdale

Rockdale Village Hall
79 Moen Avenue
Door 3

Rockdale Police Department
79 Moen Avenue
Door 1

 

Shorewood Police Department

903 W. Jefferson Street 
815-725-1460
Hours: Drop-Box 24/7

Wilmington

CVS
1101 Water Street

Wilmington Pharmacy
600 W Baltimore Street

Wilmington

Wilmington Police Department
129 Robert P Weidling Drive
815-476-2813

Wilmington Residents Only
Hours: Drop-Box
Monday-Friday 9am-3pm
(excluding holidays)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

last updated: Last Updated 2024-05-29

Historical Information:

In 2007, in coorperation with the Illinois EPA, Will County began soliciting partnerships with pharmacies and police departments to collect medications. Below is a list of all partners that participated for some, if not all of the years for this program, which ended December 2023.

Will County partners for Pharmaceuticals:

  • Illinois EPA 
  • Bolingbrook Police Dept
  • Braidwood Police Dept   
  • Crest Hill Police Dept  
  • Elwood Police Dept
  • Will County Sheriff  
  • Lemont Police Dept 
  • Lockport Police Dept  
  • Manhattan Police Dept  
  • Mokena Police Dept  
  • Monee Police Dept
  • New Lenox Police Dept
  • Orland Park Police Dept
  • Peotone Police Dept
  • Plainfield Police Dept
  • Romeoville Police Dept
  • Shorewood Police Dept
  • Wilmington Police Dept

Walgreens launched a take-all medication collection program in August 2016 at select locations
Click this link to a Map of these locations

Some Meijer and CVS locations have also become drop-off sites.

  • Basinger's Pharmacy (multiple locations)   
  • Bolingbrook Pharmacy
  • Doc's Drugs (multiple locations)
  • Remco Medical (merged with J.D. Brown)

 

 
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