“It’s the most wonderful tiiiiime…” – wait, wait, wait!  Wrong song, but right sentiment if you’ve got that little bit of a pyro bug in you to blow some things up this 4th of July, or Independence Day, if you want to get technical.

Seriously though, Independence Day is a massive celebration of all things American from hot dogs and Coke-a-Cola to plain old blowing things up.  If you had your own fireworks display in addition to watching the city or town display you might be wondering “What should I do with all of the used fireworks?”

Are Fireworks Recyclable?

First, a little background information on fireworks:  Most fireworks are a lethal combination of various highly reactive and dangerous chemicals.  Once ignited, these chemicals burn and react with each other to form the incredible light and fire show in your driveway.  While pretty in your driveway, they’re not exactly pretty on paper.

A common ingredient in many large fireworks (read: city fireworks not driveway fireworks), potassium perchlorate, is reported to be one of the worst for both your health and the environment!  A study by the Journal, Environmental Science and Technology have linked the chemical to thyroid damage and high levels of contamination in bodies of water shortly after large fireworks shows.

Unfortunately, due to the nature of fireworks being highly dangerous chemical concoctions, you really can’t recycle them.  Until someone invents the next “green” firework display, we’ll be left just trying to minimize our use and carefully disposing of them where possible.

So what does this all mean for you shooting off a couple bottle rockets or lighting some sparklers in the backyard?  Try these:

1. Always use fireworks in one specific area so that clean-up is isolated to one spot and not scattered randomly around the property (preferably in one spot on a driveway, street, or other hard smooth surface)
2. Upon clean-up, make sure all fireworks are completely extinguished and no longer even warm
3. Use a broom to sweep all remains into a single pile to be disposed
4. Don’t let everything sit out over night as this allows the chemical dust and ash to blow away and scatter throughout your neighborhood
5. Collect the debris into a paper grocery bag or garbage bag and contact your local city council or city hall to find out if they have any special methods for disposing of the used fireworks

For the hardcore greenits, here’s some “pure plays” for going green this holiday:

1.  Enjoy a personal fireworks show at a friend or family member’s home, one show is less pollution than two

2.  Just attend your local town or city fireworks display instead of having your own show

3.  If you insist on your own show, how about having it online at this cool fireworks generator

Have fun, be safe, and don’t freak out too much over your Independence Day pollution as ultimately, according to Chemical & Engineering News, “most experts think the level of pollution from shooting off fireworks outdoors a couple of times per year is actually pretty small.”

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