As Independence Day approaches, Clark County officials are urging residents to keep safety and environmental concerns in the forefront when dealing with the aftermath of their holiday festivities—specifically the disposal of fireworks. According to an announcement from the county's website, improper disposal of these celebratory explosives can lead to fires, injuries among sanitation workers, and harmful contamination in local waterways, as fireworks are composed of heavy metals and other chemicals detrimental to aquatic life.
While it may not seem like a grand gesture, residents play a crucial role in environmental preservation by properly cleaning up fireworks debris; the county emphasizes that leaving behind residue not only poses a danger but also constitutes littering, against both Washington law and Clark County ordinance. Given how disposed materials can be swept into storm drains and make their way to rivers and lakes—with no additional street sweeping scheduled past July 4 to intervene and mitigate the potential damage—the situation dictates residents act responsibly and promptly in their clean-up efforts.
In the spirit of harm reduction, Clark County has issued straightforward guidelines for disposing of fireworks. Spent fireworks should be soaked in a bucket of water overnight, then securely bagged and placed in the trash—not the recycling bin. Residents are cautioned to pour out the soaking water onto absorbent ground where it won't make its way into the storm drains. On the other hand, unused fireworks, considered explosives, must not be thrown in the trash or recycling and should instead be taken to designated drop-off sites such as the Clark County Fire Marshal's Office, Camas-Washougal Fire Marshal's Office, or Vancouver Police Department.
For those unfortunate fireworks that don't light up the sky as intended, a cautious wait of no less than 15 minutes is advised before they joined their doused comrades from the night's pyrotechnics, a precaution laden with the weight of safety for both individuals and the environment, an echo of the county's plea for its inhabitants to respect the boundaries of legal discharge times and locations, the city of Vancouver standing as a no-go zone for the discharge of any fireworks.
With illegal fireworks inevitably part of the July Fourth landscape, Clark Regional Emergency Services Agency (CRESA) is set to operate a call center for reporting non-emergency fireworks-related issues. The center will be available at various times from July 3 through July 6, and an online reporting form will also be accessible starting tomorrow on the CRESA website. However, residents should remember that 911 is reserved for immediate threats like visible fires or injuries only. For more detailed information on the proper disposal of fireworks or the rules surrounding their use this Fourth of July, visit the Clark County fireworks webpage.
