Another Flare-Up
A few months ago, a Latitude reader asked what they should do with their used flares. As it turns out, disposing of expired flares — which are, of course, mandatory on nearly every vessel — can be a hard thing to do.
But on Sunday, April 14, there will be a pilot flare collection event in San Francisco to get rid of expired or unwanted marine flares.
The free event will be at the East Marina Green Triangle, at 200 Marina Blvd in San Francisco between 9 a.m. and 2 p.m.. “There is no limit on the number of flares accepted, however, we recommend that you make an appointment and provide an average number of flares you expect to bring,” organizers said in a press release. “Since this is a pilot collection event, we want to control traffic by limiting attendance to San Francisco residents and boaters who keep their boats in San Francisco only. The types of flares accepted included: hand-held, aerial, parachute, and smoke.”
Organizers are recommending that attendees make an appointment by calling Huy Le at (415) 355-3760 or emailing at [email protected].
For disposal of expired marine flares, please contact the California Department of Toxic Substances Control (800-728-6942) or your local Certified Unified Program Agency for assistance.
The event is in partnership with San Francisco Recreation and Parks, California State Parks Division of Boating and Waterways, the California Coastal Commission, and the San Francisco Department of Environment, which received a grant from the Department of Resource Recycling & Recovery (CalRecycle).
We hope to see some photos of the Latitude Nation at the event!
“The types of flares accepted included: hand-held, aerial, parachute, and smoke.”
My only disappointment: Not having an epic fireworks show at nightfall, despite having all the ammunition to do so…!
you can always take them to the fire department
Robert — The majority of our readers have said that their local fire departments DO NOT take expired flares.
West Marine stores should accept and process..old flares…why not…Safety and they sell them
Alameda County’s HazMat site will accept flares from Alameda County residents.
I heard a presentation once on why it is so difficult to dispose of old flares — the federal government puts them in the same category as dynamite. They have to be shipped in explosion-proof containers (huge and heavy) to the two or three centers that process “used” explosives — all of which are cross-country in the deep South