FOLEY — Foley residents have a new way to dispose of outdated medications.

Foley Police Department recently acquired a Drug Drop-Off Box, which is situated in the outer lobby of the Foley Justice Center on East Section Avenue.

According to Foley Police Chief David White, such a fixture is a great addition to the city.

“It’s not good to have narcotics, or even prescription drugs, around if they’re not needed,” he said in an interview at the Foley Justice Center. “If people have excess pills they want to get rid of, they can bring them here to be properly disposed of.”

They are then taken to a lab and placed in a solution that makes the active ingredients inert. This, he said, is a better alternative than throwing the medicines away or flushing them, which can lead to the drugs leaching into the city’s water system.

But there is an additional danger from having medications in the home.

“For a while now, there has been a problem with kids dangerously experimenting with whatever medicines they find in their parents’ cabinet,” Foley Police Chief David Wilson said.

Foley Police Lt. David White agreed.

“It’s the most abused drug out there,” he said. “One of the most important things is keeping it out of the hands of kids.”

This box doesn’t replace the Drug Enforcement Administration’s Drug Take-Back programs that occur in April and October. Instead, White said that it will add to it.

“We’ve had a lot of success with the Drug Take-Back program,” the lieutenant said. “This is just an external step. Whatever it takes.”

The Drug Drop-Off Box program started in Gulf Shores in partnership with the Baldwin County Community Alliance. Foley joined in when an extra box became available in February.