Each year, unused and expired medications quietly pile up in households across the country. At the same time, the decisions that people make about disposing of medicine impact what chemicals end up in rivers, lakes, and even drinking water. Too often, they’re tossed in the trash or flushed down the toilet. While this may seem like an easy and harmless solution, improper disposal of prescription and over-the-counter medicine pose major threats to public safety and the environment.

Since 2008, Illinois-Indiana Sea Grant has helped communities establish medicine collection programs, working with local governments, law enforcement, and interested residents. In 2024, we also provided financial and technical support to a network of single-day and permanent community collection programs.

Altogether, we helped establish 59 permanent medicine collection programs in Illinois, Indiana, Wisconsin, and Michigan, with 51 still in operation. The more than 10,000 pounds of unwanted medicine collected in 2024 brings the total amount to a whopping 334,800 pounds, which equates to over 167 tons of properly disposed medicines.