Kendall Coroner’s Office offers help disposing of medical sharps, drugs

The Kendall County Coroner’s Office has launched a Community Support & Harm Reduction Program which is designed to support Kendall County citizens by providing them with easy-to-use and anonymous options to dispose of potentially hazardous medical sharps and unwanted/unused medications year-round.

This new program consists of four major services:

Medical sharps disposal kiosk: This new kiosk is available to Kendall County residents 24 hours a day and is located outside of the Kendall County Coroner’s Office at 804 W. John Street in Yorkville. The kiosk can accept sharps that have been placed in commercially available medical sharps containers or rigid plastic containers up to 1 quart. If residents have containers that do not fit into the kiosk, they can call 630-553-4200 to arrange to drop off containers directly to staff members.

Small medical sharps containers are also available for residents to use at home. Once the container is filled, the resident can simply exchange it for a new empty container at the Coroner’s Office.

Prescription medication disposal kiosks: Six new kiosks have been placed at local police departments throughout the county and are available during each department’s business hours. These kiosks can accept solid or liquid medications for disposal; no information will be collected from individuals disposing of items. Medications containing sharps or illicit drugs cannot be accepted at these sites.

The kiosks are located at: Kendall County Coroner’s Office, 804 W. John St., Yorkville; Kendall County Sheriff’s Office, 1102 Cornell Lane, Yorkville; Yorkville Police Department, 651 Prairie Pointe Drive, Yorkville; Plano Police Department, 111 E. Main Street, Plano; Joliet Police Department (West Substation), 7196 Caton Farm Road, Plainfield; Montgomery Police Department, 10 Civic Center Drive, Montgomery.

The Kendall County Coroner has also partnered with the Kendall County Health Department to provide free Narcan for residents to have on-hand in case of an accidental opioid overdose. These Narcan devices are available in the office lobby during business hours.

Semi-annual drug takeback events: The Coroner’s Office hosts prescription drug take-back events twice a year in April and October. These events are part of the DEA’s National Take Back Initiative and are run in partnership with multiple local police departments. The Coroner’s Office event is an anonymous drive-through station which will accept both medical sharps (in containers) and medications for destruction, regardless of residency. Diabetic supplies for donation will also be accepted during these events.

Diabetic supplies donations: The Coroner’s Office is a collection site for unopened and unexpired diabetic medication/supplies year-round. Any eligible donations are sent to our partner organization, Insulin For Life (IFL), which then distributes these life-saving supplies to those less fortunate in 74 developing nations throughout the world. During certain types of disasters (such as flood, tornadoes, etc.) IFL may also distribute these supplies domestically.

For information on any of the services offered under the Community Support & Harm Reduction Program, visit takeback.kendallcoroner.org or call 630-553-4200.