SOUTHERN PINES, N.C. -- A company based in Southern Pines says it has found a solution to part of the country's opioid crisis.      

DisposeRx says it has created a compound that when combined with water can seal unused and unwanted prescription drugs in a biodegradable goo making it impossible to use.    

The company's president, William Simpson, says as many as 40 percent of American households have expired or unwanted medicine -- making this a safe and easy way to dispose of them.

"Seventy percent of Heroin addiction starts in the home medicine cabinet,” said Simpson. “The problem is, when medicine is stored in our home medicine cabinets, it's where the danger starts."

Ideally, Simpson says a packet of DisposeRx would be included in the same bag as a prescription when it's picked up from the pharmacy.

The product costs less than $1.50 to make.