Pharmaceutical Take Back
Summary of Pharmaceutical Take Back:
- Medication should NEVER be discarded down the drain.
- Unused, expired and unwanted medication is a health and safety risk, as well as a potential threat to waterways.
- Pharmacies participating in the Illinois EPA pilot program may accept most medications.
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Some police departments also offer medication take-back of all types of medication.
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Due to new DEA regulations released in the Fall of 2014 some pharmacies have discontinued accepting medications but others are considering becoming collection sites. Please check back.
Will County partners for Pharmaceuticals: 
- 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. Please contact your pharmacy to ask for more details.
Known sites and hours are listed below!
Will County Medication Take Back Program
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.
The EPA has asked everyone to cease "flushing" unwanted medications down the drain. The federal government is encouraging people to locate pharmaceutical take-back programs for disposal of unwanted medications.
Will County, in cooperation with the Illinois EPA and local pharmacies, began the area’s first permanent Medication Take-Back Program in 2007. This is a pilot program, that if successful, may be expanded.
Will County shall continue to offer One-Day Household Hazardous Waste Collection Events which have always accepted medications. Please share this information with friends, neighbors and family members to protect our fishing, recreational and drinking water resources.
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. Only give medications to the pharmacy or drop-off site personnel.
- This is not a share or reuse opportunity. All medications received will be destroyed in the most environmentally sound manner possible.
| Items Accepted (Expired or Unwanted) |
Items NOT Accepted |
| Prescription Medications |
DEA Controlled Substances*: |
| Over-the-Counter Medications |
Narcotic Medications |
| Medicated Ointments |
Illegal Drugs |
| Medicated Shampoos |
Bio-Hazardous Materials |
| Liquids Containing Medications |
Sharps / Needles (see bottom of page) (except Romeoville PD) |
| Prescription Inhalers |
Radioactive Materials |
| Over-the-Counter Inhalers |
Other Household Wastes |
| Glass Thermometers (contain mercury) |
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| Medical devices containing mercury |
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| (blood pressure units, barometers, etc.) |
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*The Federal Drug Enforcement Agency defines DEA Controlled Substances under the 1970 Controlled Substances Act. They are medications categorized by "schedules" based on their potential for abuse or addition. The schedules cover opiates, hallucinogens and prescriptions containing narcotics or amphetamines.
What to do with medications that are not accepted?
Will County, in cooperation with local law enforcement agencies, will host special collection events that include DEA controlled substances from time-to-time. Some law enforcement agencies accept DEA controlled substances. Please contact your local police department to learn if they offer this valuable home safety service.
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.
Accidental 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.
The Medication Take-Back Brochure may be printed on 8.5" X 14" sheet.
Pharmaceutical Drop-Off Locations:
Bolingbrook
Meijer Pharmacy
225 N Weber Road
Meijer Pharmacy
755 E Boughton Road
Walgreens
101 Lily Cache Lane
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Braidwood
Braidwood Police Dept
141 W Main Street
815-858-2342 (call first)
CVS
230 S Comet Drive |
Crest Hill
Crest Hill Police Dept
20690 City Center Boulevard
(near White Oak Library)
815-741-5111
Hours:
24/7 inside entrance
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Elwood
Elwood Police Dept
401 Mississippi Avenue
815-423-5411
Hours:
Monday-Friday 8:30am-5pm
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Homer Glen
Meijer Pharmacy
14169 S Bell Road
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Joliet
CVS
809 Plainfield Road
J.D. Brown Pharmacy
837 Plainfield Road (Rt 30)
Walgreens
1801 Ingalls
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Joliet
Will County Sheriff
16911 W Laraway Road
815-727-8575
Hours:
Drop-Box 24/7
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Lemont
Lemont Police Dept
14600 127th Street
630-257-2229 x2478
Hours: Drop-Box 24/7
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Lockport
Lockport Police Dept
1212 Farrell Road
815-838-2132
Hours:
Monday-Friday 8:30am-5pm
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Mokena
Meijer Pharmacy
11305 Lincoln Highway
Walgreens
20002 Wolf Road
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Mokena
Mokena Police Dept
10907 Front Street
708-479-3912
Hours: Drop-Box 24/7
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Naperville
Walgreens
2719 Hassert Blvd
Walgreens
3035 Bood Road
Walgreens
63 W 87th Street
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Naperville-Regional IEPA HHW Facility
180 Fort Hill Drive
"Please, No Direct Calls"
Hours:
Saturday-Sunday 9am-2pm
(excluding holidays)
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New Lenox
Walgreens
466 Nelson Road
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New Lenox
New Lenox Police Dept
208 Veterans Parkway
815-462-6100
Hours: Drop-Box
Monday-Friday 8am-5pm
(excluding holidays)
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Peotone
Peotone Police Department
208 E. Main Street
708-258-3279
Hours: Drop-Box
Monday-Friday 9am-3pm
(excluding holidays)
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Plainfield
Meijer Pharmacy
13521 S. Route 59
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Plainfield
Plainfield Police Department
14300 Coil Plus Drive
815-436-6544
Plainfield Residents Only
Hours: Drop-Box
Monday-Friday 9am-3pm
(excluding holidays)
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Romeoville
Meijer Pharmacy
347 N Independence Blvd
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Romeoville
Romeoville Police Department
1050 W Romeo Road
815-886-7219
Hours: Drop-Box 24/7
(Seperate Collection container for Sharps)
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Shorewood Police Department
903 W. Jefferson Street
815-725-1460
Hours: Drop-Box 24/7
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Wilmington
CVS
1101 Water 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)
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Locations throughout Illinois are availabe on the IL EPA website!
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last updated: 1/31/2022
Several pharmacies ceased participating and are listed here for historical reference only:
- Basinger's Pharmacy (multiple locations)
- Bolingbrook Pharmacy
- Doc's Drugs (multiple locations)
- Remco Medical (merged with J.D. Brown)