SAFE DISPOSAL OF FIREWORKS

Generally speaking, disposing of fireworks is very straight forward, however it is important to always exercise caution.

Spent fireworks should always be treated as if they are live, and you should never return to a firework immediately after it has fired. Once cooled, you should inspect the firework to make sure that it has fired as intended, but whilst doing this, be mindful not to lean over the fireworks tubes. This is particularly important with multi-shot barrages which can, in very rare cases, fail to launch all of their shots.

If you are clearing up on the same day of your firework display, and presuming all fireworks have fired as intended, then we recommend dousing or submerging the fireworks in water before simply placing the empty carcasses into a bin bag. Once fired it is perfectly safe to put the remaining damp cardboard into your general waste and this can then be put out for your bin men or taken to your local tip.

If you are clearing up the next day, then it is not necessary to soak fireworks as any risk of smouldering will have passed. In this case, and again presuming everything has fired correctly, you can simply place the fireworks into a rubbish bin.

It would be nice to be able to recycle cardboard left-overs, however clay bungs remain in the bottom of most fireworks and therefore this is not currently an option.

It is important to never throw spent fireworks onto a fire, no matter how tempting. Disposing of fireworks in this manner could be very dangerous and should any explosive powder remain, it will ignite unpredictably.

If you notice a firework which has only partially fired, then you have a few methods of disposing of these safely.

If you notice that a larger barrage or compound cake has only partially fired, then it may be possible to ignite the remaining tubes with the use of a reserve fuse. Larger fireworks tend to have a secondary fuse for this very purpose, and by lighting the reserve any remaining shots can be fully enjoyed as normal. In these instances, please follow the fireworks instructions.

If you have a partially fired firework which does not have a reserve fuse, then the firework must be fully submerged in water for 24 hours. After soaking, the firework will be chemically inactive and the inert non-explosive item can again be placed into your general waste. This will also apply to items where the fuse burnt, but no effects were discharged.