Easy Disposal of Marine Flares

[Sandy]

Having missed the final deadline for leaving at Coastguard and findind no one to take them near me, I actually googled "disposal of incendaries".

Local gov web site said recycling centre took them. Local gov help line knew no details so I checked with recycling operator, and they said no bother, just bring them in. Rocked up dumped broken furniture and a man took my 16 flares to place in the locked big red bin.

Logical, as if Force 4, Survivitech (or Coastguard in days go by) and a n other take them, they dont actually have disposal facilities. So they must go somewhere to be legally disposed off. Yes, its the council!

As ever RYA info could be better and avoid panicking this ageing sailor

I've always found on the purchase of new pyrotechnics the out of date ones can be returned.

 

[oldmanofthehills]

I've always found on the purchase of new pyrotechnics the out of date ones can be returned.

Not if you buy on line like many of us must do.

The real point is that it was never an issue in the past so many us have a collection of old flares waiting harmless in our sheds as we gather enough to justify a trip to Coastguard and now that option has been removed.

The RYA however by banging on about paid disposal by suppliers completely failed to say there were other free routes available to quite a few of us, which not only were free but were more accessible, and had been more accessible even in the old days.

Sometime I think RYA only interested in Olympic Racing

 

[ylop]

Logical, as if Force 4, Survivitech (or Coastguard in days go by) and a n other take them, they dont actually have disposal facilities. So they must go somewhere to be legally disposed off. Yes, it’s the council!

they don’t send them to the council - they go by specialist transport to a specialist disposal facility. Your council will do the same at some cost to the tax payer.
[/QUOTE]

it doesnt need the army bomb squad to dispose of giant sparklers

I don’t think you should think of flares as big sparklers, they have the potential to do some serious damage. If the council are segregating them and offering a service it’s probably because they’ve decided that’s lower risk and cost to them than people burying them amongst other rubbish and it going off in the crusher.

No Ocean Safety within 2 hours drive of me - say £64 roundtrip for my van - plus 16*2=16. So a mere £80 and a whole day wasted.

no need for ocean safety - almost any reputable chandler will take them for a fee. There won’t be many sailors who never go to a marina with a chandlery or pass near a chandlery on the way to the boat.

My next problem of course is that Force 4 charge £45 to ship a replacement Offshore Flare pack

other chandlers exist.

Not if you buy on line like many of us must do.

The RYA however by banging on about paid disposal by suppliers completely failed to say there were other free routes available to quite a few of us, which not only were free but were more accessible, and had been more accessible even in the old days.

ah, it’s the RYA’s job to monitor what every local authority does and keep on top of which ones add/remove services as the tax paying public realise they are subsidising yachties or councillors worry about stuff going in wheely bins that shouldn’t.

 

[burgundyben]

I have 3 to get rid of.

The Isle of Wight council has a waste page on its website that says to get in touch about hazardous waste and provides an email address to do so.

The email address bounces.

I called the council, very helpful lady, I pointed out that the email address bounced, there was a digit missing, she's sorting that, apparently now corrected, they will pick up my email and deal with the flares for me.

I'll update in due course.

 

[burgundyben]

A reply from the Isle of Wight Council said call Coastguard or see GreenBlue.

So I called the coastguard who referred me to GreenBlue...

GreenBlue does not work, there is no location on Isle of Wight and we're not allowed them on Red Funnel or Wightlink.

Heaven forfend we go by our own boat....

Just as I was replying to the Council, Coastguard called me back and said since Isle of Wight is a special case the Police Station in Newport take them.

We'll see!

 

[AntarcticPilot]

They seem to have closed down our local police stations, along with the bank branches. Is there some correlation here?

As noted, you have to go to the central police station for your area. Local police stations are unlikely to have facilities.

 

[oldmanofthehills]

they don’t send them to the council - they go by specialist transport to a specialist disposal facility. Your council will do the same at some cost to the tax payer.

I don’t think you should think of flares as big sparklers, they have the potential to do some serious damage. If the council are segregating them and offering a service it’s probably because they’ve decided that’s lower risk and cost to them than people burying them amongst other rubbish and it going off in the crusher.
no need for ocean safety - almost any reputable chandler will take them for a fee. There won’t be many sailors who never go to a marina with a chandlery or pass near a chandlery on the way to the boat.

other chandlers exist.
[/QUOTE]
Thank you for the detailed critique of my posting. You have made a few wrong assumptions but there we are

However I will continue to seek clarity of process and information as I find putting up with a poor situation unhelpful in the long run, but then I am a systems engineer

 

[RunAgroundHard]

It is a royal pain disposing of TEPs these days. I buy online because the cost is lower than chandlers near me, so swapping out is not really an issue. There is an Ocean Safety facility a 2 hour drive from me. At the end of the day, its just one of these chores that has to be done as I don't want them sitting about in my workshop. If going to Ocean Safety, call them, because their TEP box might be full and they will not accept any more until it gets emptied.

 

[ylop]

It is a royal pain disposing of TEPs these days.... ....I buy online because the cost is lower than chandlers near me, so swapping out is not really an issue.

its not - I can walk into the chandlers either at the marina my boat lives in or the one closest to my home and pay a few pounds per flare and its done. I don't even have to buy replacements. People just object to paying for a service and then complain there are no easy options.

(Last time i did it was £2/flare; sign in Largs Chandlery I thinks says £2.95/flare from memory)

 

[KeithMD]

Force 4 Q&A for flares:

We have policy that you need buy new ones to get rid of old ones. So if you bring the old ones when collecting the new ones, we will be able to get rid of them for you. 04/11/21

Seago Inshore Flare Pack

 

[NormanS]

See these places marked on the chart that say, Explosives Dumping Ground.....
Please don't take this as a literal suggestion.

 

[RunAgroundHard]

its not - I can walk into the chandlers either at the marina my boat lives in or the one closest to my home and pay a few pounds per flare and its done. I don't even have to buy replacements. People just object to paying for a service and then complain there are no easy options.

(Last time i did it was £2/flare; sign in Largs Chandlery I thinks says £2.95/flare from memory)

The last time I checked, I was not you, so if I think it is a pain, it is a pain.

I do not object to paying or even driving the 4 hour round trip. It is just an inconvenience to me, when it used to be a lot easier. The nearest marina to me is Port Glasgow, maybe Rhu, with the former a stones throw from Ocean Safety.

 

[Sybarite]

Flares don't float....

 

[awol]

The nearest marina to me is Port Glasgow, maybe Rhu, with the former a stones throw from Ocean Safety.

Port Glasgow has a marina? Who knew?

 

[burgundyben]

The last time I checked, I was not you, so if I think it is a pain, it is a pain.

I do not object to paying or even driving the 4 hour round trip. It is just an inconvenience to me, when it used to be a lot easier. The nearest marina to me is Port Glasgow, maybe Rhu, with the former a stones throw from Ocean Safety.

Off topic, but the cafe at Rhu does a lovely Empire biscuit.

 

[ylop]

The last time I checked, I was not you, so if I think it is a pain, it is a pain.

OK - let me put it differently for you, I think its a minor inconvenience.

I do not object to paying or even driving the 4 hour round trip. It is just an inconvenience to me, when it used to be a lot easier. The nearest marina to me is Port Glasgow, maybe Rhu, with the former a stones throw from Ocean Safety.

Are you honestly saying that the ONLY time / reason you would have for making that trip in any sensible time frame is to dispose of the flares? If we assume that most marina's have chandleries that can deal with this (and ignore chandleries that aren't at marinas which might give you more choice), are you honestly saying that you'd never even pass a marina - whether in the car or afloat - in the course of a year of boat ownership? I think that will make you a pretty unusual "problem case" and it seems odd to me that as a society we would set up infrastructure to solve problems for edge cases.

The last person I met face-to-face who was grumbling about this was standing on a pontoon at Largs marina, about 150m from the Chandlery and the sign that says £2.95. He was complaining that "there's nowhere to take them, nobody wants them". He genuinely seemed surprised that the Chandery took them despite an A4 sign at the till - I don't know if he walks around with eyes shut, buys everything online to save a few pence (and then will complain when there are no chandleries when he needs spare parts) or actually meant "I don't want to pay for disposal".

 

[ylop]

Flares don't float....

Perhaps meant in jest, but our seas are full of enough crap and our CG and Navy EOD teams have enough issues with munitions washing up on shore without adding to the problem; nevermind the possibility that a child finds in on a beach or fisherman gets injured getting it out his nets.

 

[Sandy]

Not if you buy on line like many of us must do.

Pyrotechnics are amongst the things I'd never buy online. By what you say going to meet a shopkeeper does have advantages.

 

[RunAgroundHard]

OK - let me put it differently for you, I think its a minor inconvenience.

Are you honestly saying that the ONLY time / reason you would have for making that trip in any sensible time frame is to dispose of the flares? If we assume that most marina's have chandleries that can deal with this (and ignore chandleries that aren't at marinas which might give you more choice), are you honestly saying that you'd never even pass a marina - whether in the car or afloat - in the course of a year of boat ownership? I think that will make you a pretty unusual "problem case" and it seems odd to me that as a society we would set up infrastructure to solve problems for edge cases.

The last person I met face-to-face who was grumbling about this was standing on a pontoon at Largs marina, about 150m from the Chandlery and the sign that says £2.95. He was complaining that "there's nowhere to take them, nobody wants them". He genuinely seemed surprised that the Chandery took them despite an A4 sign at the till - I don't know if he walks around with eyes shut, buys everything online to save a few pence (and then will complain when there are no chandleries when he needs spare parts) or actually meant "I don't want to pay for disposal".

You clearly have a problem with my approach to disposing of TEPs. I would hate to be stuck in a lift with you.

 

[[2574]]

Port Glasgow has a marina? Who knew?

Presumably JWD?