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Feature Wed Jul 08 2015
What to Do With All Those Leftover Fireworks
Photo: Silvester on Flickr
The further away we get from the Fourth of July, the less socially acceptable — and still totally illegal — it is to shoot flaming balls into the air of a crowded urban environment. I know, lame.
Plus, your neighbors are complaining, and quite a few of them think the explosions are actually gunshots. (BTW, here's a handy video showing the difference.)
So, what should do you do with any stockpiles of unexploded ordinance you have lying around?
Store them in a cool, dry place. Fireworks actually last for a very long time. Maybe don't keep them next to your lighter fluid or other flammable materials.
Save them for the next win by a local team. Nothing says "I'm a fan" more than scaring the crap out of people who don't follow sports. It's still illegal, but fellow fans may appreciate it.
You can't recycle them. I know you care about the environment, but you can't put them in the blue bin or even drop them off at the special hazardous waste disposal sites.
Soak them in water and then put them in the trash. As anyone who went to the Great Chicago Fire Festival can tell you, water is great at preventing fires. So keep your trashcan flame-free and save your neighborhood sanitation worker from an unwelcome surprise.
Don't just blow them all up at once. I know it's tempting to develop an elaborate plan to set them all off, but that rarely turns out how you'd expect it to.
