This is how to get rid of your out of date flares.

I suspect my (slightly) outdated hand held pinpoint reds are due to be dealt with next Nov 5. (Gloves, eye protection and a bucket of water recommended, and don't get your anatomy in line with the tube. Very educational, they don't necessarily do what you expect, they burn for quite a long time, are very bright and get VERY hot.) I can't imagine that my downwind neighbours would be pleased if I did the same with the smokes. Years ago I managed to persuade Coastguard to take my parachute flares and I never want to see another parachute flare again. I spoke to Coastguard recently and a distinct reticence to take any more flares was evident.

One of our local chandlers will take old flares for free, when I purchase new ones, on a like-for-like basis. Another chandler will dispose of old flares at £1.70 per each, even if I don't buy new ones. So there doesn't seem to be any reason for getting too worked up on this issue.
 
There are lots of areas on my charts marked "Dumping Ground, Explosives".

That's to warn you that the Navy used to chuck lots of their old whizz-bangs away there, and bottom-trawling might not be a very clever idea. But neither they nor we are allowed to throw stuff away like that any more.

Pete
 
>They are not obliged and the the fallacy about the lead lined boxes has been mentioned on here any number of times, and disproved the same.

I disposed out of date flares at the Police station near Muswell Hill, London and they said they had a lead lined box for disposal of explosives. Why would they lie?
 
Last edited:
I disposed out of date flares at the Police station near Muswell Hill, London and they said they had a lead lined box for disposal of explosives. Why would they lie?

Because the junior plod on the front desk doesn't actually know what the Property department do when he hands over the flares to them, but he has a vague idea they keep them in a special box?

Pete
 
Top