TEP's

[TheBoatman]

TEP\'s

I said I would keep the forum up to date with what was happening re my email to my local MP requesting what the sailing industry should do with TEP's ~ below is the answer I got back.
Quote>>>
I am responding to your enquiry addressed to DEFRA which has been passed to the Maritime and Coastguard Agency which is part of the Department of Transport to respond to.

Within the UK there is no government department that is responsible for the disposal of out of date flares/pyrotechnics. There is also no legislation that requires a manufacture, distributor or seller of marine pyrotechnics to make arrangements for disposal. Any disposal facilities which are provided are at the discretion of the individual organisation and may incur a fee.

The MCA (HM Coastguard) will accept TEPs from individual members of the public and small independent fishing vessels, which are delivered to designated stations in accordance with the guidelines we have published, further information can be found on the following link:

http://www.mcga.gov.uk/c4mca/mcga07-home...yrotechnics.htm


The MCA does not undertake active collections of out of date flares and in accordance with MGN 287 (copy attached) does not accept TEPs from any commercial organisation which must make their own arrangements through commercial disposal contractors. The government believes that ultimately, since the purchasing of marine pyrotechnics is a commercial transaction, their disposal should be a matter for the commercial and leisure sectors to resolve, and should not continue to be a burden on the public purse.

Yours sincerely

They also attached a pdf file MGN 287 (M+F) which is a guidence note from the MCA web site.

So there you have, it a complete circle and I'm back where I started??

BTW the info on the MGN is incorrect because Thames definately don't take TEP's.

Peter
The boatman

 

[Richard10002]

Re: TEP\'s

"The government believes that ultimately, since the purchasing of marine pyrotechnics is a commercial transaction, their disposal should be a matter for the commercial and leisure sectors to resolve, and should not continue to be a burden on the public purse. "



Given that nobody seems to give a stuff about sorting this out, I would probably just chuck em on the tip with normal rubbish.

Resolved??

 

[Stemar]

Re: TEP\'s

"Given that nobody seems to give a stuff about sorting this out, I would probably just chuck em on the tip with normal rubbish."

That'll work fine until an unfortunate coincidence of circustances causes one to take a bin man's hand off.

I can't speak for anywhere else, but Lee on Solent took a box of old stuff off me in December.

 

[Richard10002]

Re: TEP\'s

[ QUOTE ]
"Given that nobody seems to give a stuff about sorting this out, I would probably just chuck em on the tip with normal rubbish."

That'll work fine until an unfortunate coincidence of circustances causes one to take a bin man's hand off.

[/ QUOTE ]

My thoughts exactly!!

It's a bit like charging to use the loo on a Ryan Air flight - the plane would end up with p*ss all over the floor because "some" people wouldnt want to pay, and wouldnt worry about the next guy.

This is a fundamental problem with some dangerous stuff, and a problem with what to do with it.

Given the danger, the government, or one of its agencies, should work on finding/creating a solution. The simplest one would be to make it the responsibility of those selling flares to take the TEPs from the customer. The TEPs could be returned to the manufacturer who would dispose of them, along with other dangerous stuff that they dispose of in the normal course of their business.

Might put the cost of flares up a bit, but would provide an obvious and legitimate place for them to go.

If you arent buying new flares, then it ought to be forced on the police or coastguard, or Fire Service, to take them... perhaps in return for a payment.

Just saying "it's up to the boaters and the leisure industry to sort it out" is an answer that will get bin mens hands blown off.

 

[srm]

Re: TEP\'s

A few years ago a local boat owner cleard out his shed and had a fire on the beach next to where I worked. Fortunately, it was an enclosed space walled in by piers on three sides with harbour water on the other side.
We heard the distinctive sound of a rocket flare, followed a few minutes later by another.
The whole thing was accidental, but does demonstrate the danger of flares not being disposed of sensibly.

 

[Richard10002]

Re: TEP\'s

Which is exactly my point - although I made it in a kind of obtuse way /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif

 

[Billjratt]

Re: TEP\'s

Next time I sail to Ireland, I can throw my TEPs in the government dumping ground - Beauforts Dyke.
One of the Scottish problems - we're far away enough from the hallowed south east to have lots of "facilities" including Nuclear sub bases and anthrax experiments.

 

[TheBoatman]

Re: TEP\'s

Richard
Although I didn't post my original email to my MP on this forum I did in fact outline (to my MP) that the general sailing/fishing community was basically law abiding and wanted to know the best and safest way of disposing of TEP's. Unfortunately (with hindsight) I mentioned that I was a member of a YC and that's why the reply has come back using the words "organisation" even though a YC is made up of individual members, it appears that HMG consider members of YC's as not being individuals.
I was appalled at the answer I received on a couple of fronts.

1. Daily we are told by HMG that terrorism is a fact of life.
2. Daily we are told by HMG that we should be "greener".

BUT because of their actions or in-actions we have a huge build up of explosives that we just can't seem to dispose of?

AND

if we do, we have the situation whereby an individual may have to make a 100+ mile round trip in a car to dispose of them ~ crazy!!!!
Human nature being what it is, will mean that TEP's will get "disposed" of in an unsatisfactory manner.

I give up!

Peter
The Boatman.