As Americans prepare for our country’s birthday, fireworks are likely on many of our shopping lists or on the calendar to go view with friends, family and neighbors. Fireworks are beautiful, but incredibly dangerous; both to ignite and dispose of.
Ahead of Independence Day, Outagamie County Recycling & Solid Waste (OCRSW) is reminding the public how to safely dispose of fireworks. Whether it’s small fireworks like sparklers or big “booming” rockets, a lit explosive that turned out to be a dud, or old fireworks that were never ignited, all fireworks should be disposed of the same way: soaked in a bucket of water for 24 hours and then put in the garbage.
“Just because a firework went off doesn’t mean it’s safe for disposal,” said Jordan Hiller, OCRSW Program Coordinator. “Previously lit or unlit fireworks can still cause a fire in the trash or ignite when mixed with other materials.”
Hiller continues, “No matter the type of firework, wait about 15 minutes after it was ignited before it’s submerged in water. Let it soak in water for 8 to 24 hours before putting it in the garbage. We want everyone to have a safe and fun holiday. Disposing of fireworks correctly ensures it stays that way.”
About OCRSW
OCRSW operates the landfill and recycling facilities for Outagamie County and the 65 member communities it serves. It operates to provide the communities with exceptional materials management and educational services using safe and environmentally sound operational practices. OCRSW is also part of the Brown, Outagamie and Winnebago counties Tri-county agreement known as the BOW Intergovernmental Solid Waste Disposal Agreement. This commits the three counties to work together to coordinate waste disposal, using each county’s existing landfill capacities and future landfill developments while sharing administration and operations costs. The partnership stabilizes operating costs while meeting the waste management and recycling needs of the 65 communities and more than 600,000 residents in our service areas.
