How to Properly Dispose of Fireworks for a Safe 4th of July

Every year we see more and more leftover fireworks in parking lots and driveaways. Make sure you clean up after yourself. Here are some tips on disposing fireworks once you're done with them from the office of the state fire marshal.

Used Fireworks:
1. Clean up all fireworks debris.
2. Submerge used fireworks in a bucket of water for fifteen minutes to ensure they are cooled down and there are no smoldering embers that can start a fire.
3. Double wrap the soaked fireworks in plastic bags for disposal in your household trash.
4. It is best to dump the remaining water on the ground, selecting an area where it will not produce surface runoff into the municipal water system.
5. Do not put used fireworks that have not been soaked into a paper or plastic bag, as this could lead to a fire starting within the bag.
6. Return to your fireworks discharge area the next morning to clean up any remaining firework debris—things can be easily overlooked in the dark.

If you happen to find yourself with unused fireworks, there are a couple of options. Contact police to see if they can collect and properly dispose of your unused fireworks. Another idea would be to contact local public display companies (ie. the Yakima Valley Pippins) to see if they would accept the unused fireworks as a donation so they may use it.

If you find a homemade firework (ie, a metal pipe with fuse sticking out of it), call 911. They ask you not to handle this yourself.

Have a happy and safe fourth of July!