Have a bunch of Mardi Gras beads that you are looking to get rid of? Baldwin County has you covered.

Instead of letting your beads sit in a drawer or on the countertop collecting dust, there are a couple places in Baldwin County to drop them off and donate for use in next year's Mardi Gras festivities.

Gulf State Park is asking people to donate any unwanted beads and items collected from this year's Mardi Gras parades so they can be recycled and reused for next year's parades, helping reduce waste and plastic that could potentially end up in the landfill or could harm our coastal environment. To donate beads and throws, they can be dropped off at the Gulf State Park Headquarters or the Nature Center.

In addition to Gulf State Park, Fairhope Middle School is also having their own Mardi Gras bead donation campaign. The school is accepting any beads from this past Mardi Gras season, which will be sold next year as a fundraiser for a new special needs playground located on the school's campus. Beads can be dropped off either at the school or can be given directly to a student. Local shops such as Sadie's of Fairhope and Gigi and Jay's are also offering 10% off in store for customers who bring in beads as part of Fairhope Middle School's donation drive.

Since Mardi Gras beads are not biodegradable, beads that are left in the environment can contain toxic metals like lead, barium, chromium, copper and arsenic and can be released from just handling the beads.