Law enforcement agencies throughout Kane County will partner with the Drug Enforcement Administration in collecting expired, unused, and unwanted prescription medications Saturday, April 30.

Between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m., medications will be accepted and disposed at several locations listed in this article, with no questions asked. The service is free and anonymous.

Please check the DEA website closer to the event day to see if additional locations have registered. The Kane County Sheriff’s Office and Kane County Coroner’s Office both have drug drop-off boxes that are available during business hours.

• Prescription medications
• Medication samples
• Over-the-counter medications
• Medicated ointments/lotions
• Vitamins
• Pet medications
• Inhalers
• Non-controlled DEA drugs

Pills should be removed from their original container by pouring them directly into a plastic bag. All ointments, liquids, etc. can be placed into a plastic bag in the original container. Blister packs can be submitted without being placed in a plastic bag. People should take any empty prescription bottles and boxes that may contain any personal information back home.

Most police departments will not be accepting any illegal substances/narcotics, thermometers, IV bags, sharps/needles, bloody or infectious waste, and empty containers.

Last September, Americans turned in 350 tons of prescription drugs at more than 5,000 sites operated by the DEA and more than 3,800 of its state and local law enforcement partners. Overall, in its 10 previous Take Back events, DEA and its partners have taken in over 5.5 million pounds — more than 2,750 tons — of pills.

This initiative addresses a vital public safety and public health issue. Medicines that languish in home cabinets are highly susceptible to diversion, misuse, and abuse. Rates of prescription drug abuse in the U.S. are alarmingly high, as are the number of accidental poisonings and overdoses due to these drugs.

Started in 2010, this initiative aims to provide a safe, convenient and responsible means of disposing of prescription drugs. These medications should not be flushed down the toilet or sink because they could end up in local drinking water supplies. By turning in old medications, people are reducing the potential risk for abuse of prescription drugs languishing in a home’s bathroom cabinet.

Studies show that a majority of abused prescription drugs are obtained from family and friends, including from the home medicine cabinet. In addition, Americans’ usual methods for disposing of unused medicines—flushing them down the toilet or throwing them in the trash—both pose potential safety and health hazards.

Kane County

SOURCES: DEA, local news releases