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1. What is wrong with flushing medications down the toilet?

When medications are flushed down the toilet or thrown down the drain, they can end up in our water supply. The long-term effects of these pharmaceuticals and over-the-counter products are currently not fully understood, however, we do know that having pharmaceuticals in the water supply can affect the local environment, including aquatic life.

2. How does medication get into our water?

When medication is not disposed of properly, it can end up in our lakes, rivers, streams, and ground water. Pharmaceuticals are often discarded by throwing them down a drain, toilet, or carelessly into the trash. When disposed of this way, over time, these medications can find their way into the ground water supply, runoff into lakes, rivers and streams, and, in rare occasions, top soil.

3. How does medication in the water affect me and the environment?

Medication that is not disposed of properly can harm humans and wildlife, especially fish and amphibians. Medications that a thrown in the trash may be easy for kids to get into. Thousands of children every year are treated for unintentional ingestion of pharmaceuticals. Pharmaceuticals in the water have been shown to adversely affect wildlife. Trace amounts have been found in some samples of finished drinking water, but the Illinois Department of Public Health and the U.S. EPA do not
believe it to endanger public health.

4. Is it okay for me to throw medication in the trash?

Medication that is carelessly thrown in the trash is an easy target for kids. It is also a target for other household members, pets, and even burglars. Aside from these risks, medication that is thrown in a trash bag will eventually end up sitting in a landfill, where it may leach or dissolve indirectly into the ground water.

5. Where can I go to drop off my medications?

You may bring your prescription and over-the-counter medications to:

Batavia Police Department

100 N Island Avenue

Batavia, IL

The Batavia Police Department is open 24/7 year round.

You will need to check in at the Police Department window in order to drop off your medication.

Before bringing medication to the PD: Please empty your pill containers into Zip Lock type bags, quart size bags or smaller are preferred. Multiple prescriptions can be put into the same bag. Leave the pill bottles at home, they will not fit into our medication receptacle. Please see "What Medicine is not accepted?" 

6. What if I don’t live in Batavia?

This program is open to everyone.

Kane County Safe Medicine Disposal

7. What medicine is not accepted?

Drug Enforcement Agency controlled drugs, sharps / needles, IV bags, inhalers, ointments, salves, lotions, thermometers and bloody or infectious waste are not accepted at the disposal.

8. How do I dispose of inhalers?

You may put empty inhalers in your regular recycling bins, since they are made of plastic and aluminum. Inhalers that are not empty may have to wait for the yearly county disposal event. You may also contact Kane County for alternative disposal sites.

Kane County Safe Medicine Disposal

9. How do I dispose of needles?

There are currently not any options for drop-off disposal of syringes in Kane County. There are actually very few nationally and the industry is working towards future opportunities in this area. For now, you can subscribe to one of the following mail-in programs Sharps Disposal Programs

10. Can I just bring medications back to my local pharmacy?

You cannot bring in medications to your pharmacy. The pharmacies in Batavia do not offer a collection program.

11. What happens to the medications after I drop them off? Is the disposal environmentally safe?

The medications are delivered to a plant, where they will be incinerated. Incineration is environmentally safer than other disposal methods. The process is highly regulated by the EPA. It is done in a way that minimizes contamination of air particles.

12. How should the medication be packaged for disposal?

Before bringing medication to the PD: Please empty your pill containers into Zip Lock type bags, quart size bags or smaller are preferred. Multiple prescriptions can be put into the same bag. Leave the pill bottles at home, they will not fit into our medication receptacle. If you have liquid medication, leave it in the bottle, but seal the lid with tape. Put sealed liquid medication bottles into a separate baggie.  Please see "What Medicine is not accepted?"