Do not haul them with the trash
Loose cartridges, a half-used box of fireworks, and old flares are not household garbage. Do not put them in a trash cart, a dumpster, or a construction load. Do not take them to a transfer station or landfill that handles ordinary household waste. A compactor, a loader, or a fire in a waste pile can set them off. Leave them in their packaging if the packaging is still sound. Do not soak them, burn them, bury them, or take them apart. There is no home recipe for making ammunition or fireworks safe to throw away.
Call the police non-emergency line
Use the local police department's non-emergency number, not the emergency number unless there is an active fire or an immediate danger. Tell the person who answers that you have ammunition, fireworks, or both, and ask how that department wants the items surrendered. Follow the instructions they give you for your situation. They may direct you to a specific station, a scheduled turn-in, or another agency. Do not show up at a lobby with a bag of explosives because a website in another state described a different program. The department in front of you sets the method.
Store them only until that handoff
Until the department tells you where to go, keep the items away from heat, sparks, children, and the trash cans. Do not drive them around in a hot trunk while you run other dump errands. If the officer or dispatcher tells you not to transport them yourself, follow that. If they tell you a time and a place, bring only what you described on the phone. If you find ammunition mixed into a junk drawer while packing for the dump, pull it out of the load and make the call before you leave.
Before you go
- Keep ammunition and fireworks out of the trash and out of a household dump load.
- Do not soak, burn, bury, or dismantle them.
- Call the local police non-emergency line and describe what you have.
- Surrender the items the way that department tells you.
Tossing a box of old fireworks into a construction dumpster.
Questions people ask
What if the fuse is missing and the firework looks ruined?
It can still be dangerous. Do not throw it away. Call the police non-emergency line and describe the condition. Let them tell you how they want it surrendered.
Can a household hazardous waste event take ammunition?
Do not assume that. Call the police non-emergency line. If they want a different agency involved, they will say so. The dump and the trash cart are still the wrong place.
Search Dumpmapper by ZIP code or city, then call the site before you load the truck. Hours and accepted materials change.