Proper and timely disposal of prescription and over-the-counter medications is extremely important! Storing drugs for prolonged periods at home can lead to accidental poisoning, particularly among young children. Holding on to certain prescription pain killers, anxiety medications and sleep aids beyond the period of medical necessity increases risks associated with drug dependence and potential overdose. Both prescription and over-the-counter drugs can lose their potency after their expiration dates, and some can even grown harmful bacteria. Flushing drugs down the toilet or sink and even throwing them in the trash leads to medications ending up in our waterways. Please don't flush your medications. Check out this article with more information about the hazards of improper prescription medication disposal.
Medication Drop-Off Locations
The good news is that there are many locations in Kane County that take back old and unwanted prescription and OTC medications. Several Walgreens, CVS, and Meijer locations participate, as do many area hospitals, police departments and the Kane County Sheriff's Office. Sites vary in their ability to accept controlled substances, medical inhalers, and liquid medications. It is best to always check online or call before you make the trip if you have one of the aforementioned items. Sharps are almost never accepted through medication take-back programs. See our Sharps/Syringes/Needles page instead.
The National Association of Boards of Pharmacy (NABP) has a handy map tool of take-back locations on its Safe Pharmacy website.
Click the following links to see maps and lists of drop-off sites convenient to:
Northern Kane County
Tri-Cities/Central Kane County
Southern Kane County
The municipal/County agencies with permanent drug take-back programs are listed below - the maps linked above also include hospitals and pharmacies.
Public Agency Drop-off Locations
Batavia Police Department (City of Batavia Residents ONLY)
100 N Island, Batavia, IL 60510 / 630-454-2500
Hours: 7 days, 24 hours
Village of Campton Hills (Village of Campton Hills Residents ONLY)
40W270 LaFox Road, Suite B, Campton Hills, IL 60175 / 630-584-5700
Hours: M-F 9am-4pm
Village of East Dundee
120 Barrington Ave., East Dundee, IL 60118 / 847-426-2822
Hours: M-F 8am-4pm
Elgin Police Department (City of Elgin Residents ONLY)
151 Douglas Ave., Elgin, IL 60120 / 847-289-2500
Hours: 7 days, 24 hours
Geneva Police Department
(City of Geneva Residents ONLY)
20 Police Plaza, Geneva, IL 60134 / 630-232-4736
Hours: 7 days, 24 hours
Huntley Police Department
10911 E. Main Street, Huntley, IL 60142 / 847-515-5311
Hours: M-F 8am-5pm (excluding holidays)
156 Fort Hill Drive, Naperville, IL 60540 / 630-420-6095
Hours: Sat & Sun 9am-2pm (except holidays)
682 Rt 31, Oswego, IL 60543 / 630-892-4378
Hours: M-F 8am-4:30pm
Pingree Grove Police Department
1 Police Plaza, Pingree Grove, IL 60140 / 847-464-4600
Hours: M-F 7:30am-2:30pm
Hours: M-F 8:30am-5pm
St. Charles, Kane County Sheriff's Office (kiosk in lobby)
Judicial Center Complex, 37W755 Route 38 Bldg. A, St. Charles, IL 60175 / 630-232-6840
Hours: M-F 8:30am-5pm
St. Charles Police Department (City of St. Charles Residents ONLY)
1515 W. Main St., St Charles, IL 60174 / 630-377-4435
Hours: M-F 7:30am-10:30am; Sat 8am-4pm; Sun closed
Sugar Grove Police Department 10 S Municipal Dr., Sugar Grove, IL 60554 / 630-466-4526
Hours: M-F 7am-4:30pm
Pill Bottle Recycling
Unfortunately, the answer of whether empty pill bottles can be recycled is "only sometimes." They are all made from recyclable plastics, but some are too small to be sorted at recycling facilities if they go in your cart.
Many delivery-by-mail pharmacies are using larger diameter opaque plastic bottles. These can go in your curbside cart - caps and the label can stay on, but you may want to use a marker to obscure your personal information. This goes for most OTC medicine, vitamin and supplement bottles as well. The translucent orange containers that are about an inch in diameter used by many pharmacies for small orders may be too small to be sorted successfully at modern recycling plants. If this is a concern for you, religious charitable organization Mathew: 25 Ministries has a pill bottle mail in program. Read more about it here. Also, keep in mind that pill bottles ARE reusable! They are great for paperclips, beads, sewing needles, spices, and many other creative reuses. 