Fireworks treatment and disposal unit

This application claims priority to U.S. Provisional Application No. 60/981,289, filed Oct. 19, 2007, entitled “Fireworks Treatment and Disposal Unit” (Attorney Docket No. MPAS-01000USO), which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.

The present invention relates generally to an apparatus for the treatment and/or disposal of fireworks.

Each year millions of people in the United States enjoy fireworks in the form of consumer fireworks and display/professional fireworks. While watching or setting off fireworks can be enjoyable, fireworks can also present substantial safety concerns to the public, not only in their use but also in their disposal. Each year massive qualities of fireworks that are illegal in the jurisdictions where they are possessed are seized by law enforcement agencies and must be properly disposed of in compliance with applicable environmental and explosive safety laws and regulations. Because no mobile fireworks treatment units currently exist, these fireworks must be transported to central storage locations, which can be dangerous given the unpredictable nature of the material being handled. Both the firework items and the treatment residuals from the fireworks (ash and debris) may contain hazardous by-products which can contaminate the soil as well as groundwater and any nearby water supplies. Consequently, numerous state and federal agencies strictly regulate the handling, storage, transportation, treatment, and disposal of firework wastes.

Historically, fireworks were disposed of through open burning of fireworks on the ground, and many law enforcement agencies still engage in this practice today. In this regard, the fireworks are simply piled on the ground, ignited and allowed to burn until they are consumed to ash. Typically, the residual ash is then shovelled into containers and placed in a land disposal unit such as a landfill. However, with increasingly stricter state and federal environmental laws and regulations being passed each year, there is a need for a safer and more environmentally friendly approach to firework disposal.