Marine flare disposal guidelines altering from 31 December


From 31 December 2022 His Majesty’s Coastguard will cease disposing of expired or redundant marine pyrotechnics – generally generally known as flares – handed in by personal people. 

The Maritime and Coastguard Company (MCA) has been working with Division for Transport and the sector to discover a service of the identical commonplace to interchange it.

From 1 January 2023, you have to to make use of a third-party service to get rid of them safely and legally.

Contact particulars of companies providing disposal companies are newly out there on the Inexperienced Blue web site, supplied by the RYA and British Marine. It is possible for you to to discover a supplier and call them straight to debate your disposal wants.

Chandlers who promote flares could also be prepared to alternate and get rid of time-expired flares as a part of their customer support.

HM Coastguard has been offering a voluntary and short-term scheme since 2010 from 17 of its stations and the RNLI at its headquarters in Poole, Dorset. The brand new preparations are already in operation now to offer an overlap and resilience.

Discover out extra concerning the deliberate modifications to HM Coastguard’s flare disposal service on the GOV.UK web site

Flares and the regulation

Right here’s a fast reminder that it’s an offence to: 

  • fireplace flares on land or in a harbour
  • fireplace flares at sea for testing, follow or as fireworks
  • dump pyrotechnics at sea
  • go away flares to be found

Broken or out-of-date flares ought to by no means be used. They need to be disposed of safely as quickly as attainable.

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