California Flare Disposal Event on October 24 and 25

Do you like having the option to drop off your expired marine flares for someone else to deal with? We do. That’s why we encourage you to support the upcoming Flare Collection event with locations around the Bay. As the California State Parks and California Coastal Commission say, “Boaters’ participation is essential to the success of these important and unique expired marine flare collection events.”

Below is the official notice from California State Parks and the California Coastal Commission, with a list of dates and locations where mariners can drop their flares this month:

Alameda County, West Contra Costa County, Marin County, San Mateo County, Santa Cruz County, the Port of San Diego [San Diego County], Orange County and Ventura County have partnered with CalRecycle, the California Product Stewardship Council, California State Parks and Coastal Commission’s California Boating Clean and Green Program to collect expired marine flares and educate residents about marine flare management safety, including the advantages of reusable distress signals, to protect California communities and the local environment.

Residents and boaters berthing their boats in these counties can take their expired marine flares to their county’s designated marine flare collection events. Only expired marine flares from residents and boaters berthing their boats in the covered areas will be accepted. No marine flares from commercial craft or an organization nor other forms of household hazardous waste (HHW) will be accepted during the special events. Proof of residence or eligibility is required (i.e., license, registration or slip fee).

Please check additional detailed information and requirements for each event below:

Northern California:

Alameda County
Sunday, October 25, 2026 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.
By appointment ONLY. Sign-up for an appointment: www.stopwaste.org/marineflares

Marin County
Sunday, October 25, 2026, from 8 a.m. to 12 p.m.
Clipper Yacht Harbor, 310 Harbor Dr., Sausalito, CA 94965

San Mateo County
Sunday, October 25, 2026, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
Pillar Point Harbor, 1 Johnson Pier, Half Moon Bay, CA
By appointment ONLY: Call (650) 372-6200 (M–F); or visit smchealth.org/hhw
This event is open ONLY to San Mateo County residents, boaters who berth in the County, and County commercial boaters who generate less than 100 kg of hazardous waste/month. To participate, you must provide proof of residency, boat berth or business address in San Mateo County.

Santa Cruz County
Sunday, October 25, 2026, from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Santa Cruz Harbor Maintenance Yard, 425 Brommer St,. Santa Cruz, CA

West Contra Costa County
Oct 14–Oct. 24, 2026, Wed–Sat 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.
101 Pittsburg Avenue, Richmond, CA 94801.
This event is only for West Contra Costa residents or boaters in the following cities: El Cerrito, Hercules, Pinole, Richmond and San Pablo, and unincorporated Contra Costa County (i.e., El Sobrante, North Richmond, Tara Hills, Rollingwood, East Richmond Heights, Bayview, Montalvin Manor). Must prove WCC residency to participate.

Southern California:

Orange County
Saturday, October 24, 2026, from 7 a.m. to 1 p.m.
Sunset Aquatic Marina, 2901 Edinger Ave., Huntington Beach, CA 92649

Port of San Diego
Saturday, October 24, 2026, from 8 a.m. to 12 p.m.
Shelter Island Boat Ramp, 2210 Shelter Island Dr., San Diego, CA 92106

Ventura County
Saturday, October 24, 2026, from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Channel Islands Harbor Marina, 3850 Harbor Blvd., Oxnard, CA 93035

The United States Coast Guard (USCG) requires boaters to carry several unexpired visual distress signals on board, day and night. Pyrotechnic marine flares are a common type of distress signal, but they are explosive and contain toxic chemicals and must be managed as hazardous waste when expired or no longer needed. To assure safety and protect the environment, it is essential to manage single-use pyrotechnic marine flares carefully. Boaters should never throw expired or unneeded flares overboard or in the trash.

Single-use pyrotechnic marine flares expire and must be replaced every 36 to 42 months after their manufacture date, and recreational vessels generate about 174,000 pyrotechnic expired marine flares every year, according to the California Expired Marine Flare Working Group estimate in 2011. However, California boaters do not currently have access to an ongoing statewide disposal program for expired marine flares. To avoid the difficulties of safe disposal for pyrotechnic marine flares, the partners encourage boaters to consider an electronic visual distress signal device (eVDSD) as a reusable, safe and cost-effective alternative to buying the single-use pyrotechnic marine flares.

For more information about expired marine flares visit, dbw.parks.ca.gov/marineflares and to learn more check our podcast about this topic.

Hear from Marie Rogers, California Recreational Boater Certified Sailing Instructor, competitor in major regattas like the Transpac about these collection events