Alameda County, Delta Diablo, Del Norte County, West Contra Costa, Marin County, the City of Oceanside, the Port of LA, and the California Product Stewardship Council (CPSC) have partnered with CalRecycle, California State Parks and Coastal Commission’s California Boating Clean and Green Program to collect expired marine flares and educate residents about marine flare management safety, including the advantages of reusable distress signals, to protect California communities and the local environment.
Residents and boaters berthing their boats in Alameda County, East Contra Costa County, West Contra Costa County, Marin County, the City of Oceanside, and the Port of LA can take their expired marine flares to their county’s designated marine flare collection events in the fall. Only expired marine flares from residents and boaters berthing their boats in the covered areas will be accepted. No marine flares from commercial craft or an organization nor other forms of household hazardous waste (HHW) will be accepted during the special event. Proof of residence or eligibility is required (i.e., license, registration, or slip fee). See details below or visit https://www.calpsc.org/cpsc-marine-flare-projects for more event details.
Southern California
- City of Oceanside: Saturday, Sept 9, 2023, from 8 am – 12 pm at 1850 Harbor Dr N, Oceanside, CA 92054
- Port of LA: Saturday, Sept 9 from 10 am – 2 pm at Cabrillo Way Marina
Northern California
- East Contra Costa County: Aug 17 – Sep 16, 2023 during business hours at 2550 Pittsburg-Antioch Hwy, Pittsburg, CA 94565
- West Contra Costa County: Aug 16 – Sep 16, 2023 during business hours at 101 Pittsburg Avenue, Richmond, CA 94801
- Del Norte County: POSTPONED UNTIL 2024
- Marin County: Sunday, Sept 17, 2023, from 8 am -12 pm at Clipper Yacht Harbor
- Alameda County: Sunday, Sept 17, 2023, by appointment only
- Sign up for an appointment: www.stopwaste.org/marineflares
In the absence of safe disposal options locally, the partners encourage resident boaters to consider an electronic visual distress signal device (eVDSD) as a reusable distress signal alternative to the single-use pyrotechnic marine flare. The United States Coast Guard (USGC) requires boaters to carry several unexpired visual distress signals on board, day and night. Pyrotechnic marine flares are a common type of distress signal, but they are explosive hazardous waste and contain toxic chemicals, like perchlorate, that pose human health risks. Marine flares only work once and expire 42 months after the manufacture date.
For safety and environmental reasons, it is essential to manage single-use pyrotechnic marine flares carefully. Residents should never throw flares overboard into the environment or out in household trash. However, California resident boaters do not have access to an ongoing expired marine flare disposal program, and recreational vessels generate about 174,000 pyrotechnic marine flares every year, according to the California Expired Marine Flare Working Group as estimated in 2012.