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, IISG has helped establish 59 permanent medicine collection programs in Illinois, Indiana, Wisconsin, and Michigan, with 50 still in operation. The 11,220 pounds of unwanted medicine collected in 2025 bring the total amount to a whopping 346,026 pounds, which equates to over 173 tons of properly disposed medicines.