Unfortunately, for the short-term, there are no facilities in California authorized to dispose of these wastes. We have created a table of hazardous waste management facilities in the U.S. that are authorized to accept fireworks and other reactive wastes. To address the issue of seized illegal fireworks, the Office of State Fire Marshal is getting funding for four mobile fireworks treatment units that will destroy the fireworks collected by local government agencies. However, this technology is in the development phase and we don’t expect that they will become operational until 2008. The fireworks eligible to be treated in the mobile units will be restricted to Department of Transportation Hazard Class 1.4 (explosives with no significant blast hazard).  DTSC is in the process of developing streamlined Permit By Rule regulations, to be released to coincide with the roll-out of the mobile treatment units. To give you some idea of how we’re envisioning fireworks treatment working, it starts with the mobile unit going near the location fireworks cache to avoid having truckloads of skyrockets and M-80s on California’s freeways. Once the fireworks are treated (essentially, torched off in a blast chamber type device), the operators will collect and package the ash and debris. If the “residues” are hazardous because of heavy metals or perchlorate, they will go to a permitted hazardous waste facility.

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