Question: What if we already threw fireworks away? I thought it was OK to put them in the trash after soaking in water overnight, so that’s what we did, same as in 2024. It was only a few, all legal (permitted firecrackers). I don’t see anything contrary on the Hazardous Household Waste website.
Answer: Your question was prompted by news of a fireworks amnesty event scheduled for Saturday at Aloha Stadium (more on it below). Yes, it sounds like you followed directions posted by Honolulu’s Department of Environmental Services’ Refuse Division before the holidays, which say, “Safe Disposal of Fireworks: Fireworks must be disposed of correctly to prevent fires or other hazards. Soak used (and unused if throwing away) fireworks in water overnight. Once fully saturated, break them in half, seal them in a bag, and place them in your gray bin while they’re still wet.”
The website goes on to say that “improper disposal of fireworks can lead to severe consequences. Unsaturated fireworks pose a significant fire risk — they can ignite spontaneously or in contact with reactive materials, such as crushed lithium-ion batteries, potentially causing fires, damage to refuse trucks, or harm to city employees.”
Read all the Holiday Opala Alerts at 808ne.ws/4gIwQ3v. Firecrackers and fireworks don’t seem to be listed on ENV’s Household Hazardous Waste page, 808ne.ws/40pMZVS, which explains how to dispose of toxic household products, such as certain cleaning supplies, pesticides and other items. The Honolulu Fire Department does address the topic on its website, with different advice; in response to the question “How can I dispose of firecrackers?” it says to “contact the Honolulu Police Department for fireworks disposal.”
Keep in mind that these instructions all predate Oahu’s deadly New Year’s Eve, which inspired this Saturday’s amnesty event. It was scheduled after illegal aerial fireworks launched at a New Year’s Eve party in Aliamanu set off a cache of fireworks in the home’s carport, killing four people and wounding about three dozen, who suffered burns and/or shrapnel injuries, authorities said. A fifth person, in Kalihi, died in a separate fireworks mishap that night.
By contrast, from your description you disposed of legally permitted firecrackers in a way recommended by ENV.
As for this Saturday’s amnesty event, which will run from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. at Aloha Stadium, officials ask people to turn in any unused fireworks for safe disposal, no questions asked. Enter the lower Halawa parking lot through the lower Salt Lake Boulevard entrance at Gate No. 4.
Participants should place fireworks in the trunk of their car (or securely in the bed of their trunk), pop the trunk when they reach the drop-off point and wait for someone to retrieve the items. “You won’t even have to get out of your car. … We’ll grab the fireworks and you’ll be on your way to a safer tomorrow. No questions asked,” Jordan Lowe, director of the state Department of Law Enforcement, said Tuesday in the news release.
Q: Is the written test still offered in person, to get a driver’s permit?
A: Yes, but available testing days are limited, and vary by Oahu location. The website for Honolulu’s Department of Customers Services says, “You may take a learner’s permit written test at a driver licensing center by appointment available at AlohaQ.org. Appointments for in-person written testing will be limited at each driver’s licensing center to the following days”:
>> Kapalama Driver Licensing Center: Tuesday and Thursday
>> Kapolei Driver Licensing Center: Monday and Wednesday
>> Koolau Driver Licensing Center: Friday
>> Wahiawa Driver Licensing Center: Tuesday
>> Waianae Driver Licensing Center: Thursday
“You will need to present all of the required documentation to obtain a permit prior to sitting for the exam.”
Write to Kokua Line at Honolulu Star-Advertiser, 500 Ala Moana Blvd., Suite 2-200, Honolulu, HI 96813; call 808-529-4773; or email kokualine@staradvertiser.com.
