As the season of fireworks comes to a close, many are faced with the problem of safe disposal. Dozens of fires were started due to improper disposal of fireworks across the United States this past week. As the 4th of July celebrations come to an end, Officials urge for proper disposal of fireworks as they are considered explosives and will cause a fire if not taken care of.
A family in Arizona found that out when their house caught on fire after they failed to soak their fireworks in water long enough. They woke up to smoke detectors and fortunately, made it out safely. Their house is just one of many across the United States that have caught fire for this same reason just this past week.
We spoke with the Pennsylvania Fire Commissioner about the Commonwealth’s guideline for disposal. PA State Fire Commissioner Thomas Cook saying: “Once they’ve been set off, we typically advise to soak them in water to make sure they’re completely extinguished and then they can be disposed of.” Fireworks have the potential to misfire or burn incorrectly. This causes extra concern when it comes to disposal. Michael Bellvia, the President and CEO of Pro Disposal saying: “There’s sometimes firework misfires or they’ll go off, we typically look at 48 hours before disposing those after they’ve been submerged in water for 48 hours. The safest method of disposal for fireworks is to soak them in a bucket of water and allow them to soak overnight and then to wrap them in a plastic bag so that they don’t dry out. Then they can be disposed at the curbside for normal collection.”
While fireworks cannot be recycled due to their explosive nature, Experts still encourage the public to recycle whatever is leftover after the week’s celebrations. Bellvia adding: “We always just encourage people to recycle when they can. Any types of cans, soda bottles. Any types of cardboard. Fireworks, A lot of times they come in cardboard boxes, you can recycle the cardboard box itself but not the fireworks.”
For more information on firework disposal, contact your local Fire Department or Waste Management service.