How to Dispose of Live Ammo Safely
If you’ve shot firearms for any period of time, you have come across a misfire, where a round was shot, but did not ignite and go bang? What should you do with these ”duds”? If you are at a range, it’s very common for the range to have a disposal container for these rounds. Just ask the range safety officer or someone at the counter what their protocol is. But what if you are not at a range or the range does not have protocol to dispose of live ammo or what do you do if you have a large amount of ammunition to dispose of?
Consider the Environment
Many websites and people recommend soaking the rounds in oil or water to moisten the gunpowder and primer so that the round becomes inert and then proceed to discard in the trash. We do not recommend this method! The problem is that there is no guarantee that the oil or water penetrated into the casing or primer areas to make them inert. It is also possible that a round soaked in water, and left to dry out could be dangerous if the gunpowder and primer dry out as well. Most importantly, this is detrimental to the environment by throwing away metal casings that could be recycled and introducing lead into the ground via the bullets. The lead could make its way into groundwater. Consider storing the ammo in a separate container where you can add additional duds or ammo to dispose of until you have a viable solution from options below.
One of the best options would be to call around to local indoor ranges to find out how they dispose of live ammo. Many times these ranges have agreements with recyclers and range cleaners who clean up the lead periodically to offset the cost of the cleanup by providing brass and unusable ammo to recycle.
Speaking of the environment and recycling, a great way to dispose of old ammunition and make it beneficial to another person is to find someone who reloads ammunition and see if they would be willing to take and use the bullets and casings as reloads. This is especially a good option if you have common caliber ammunition to dispose of. Reloaders can disassemble the cartridges and reuse the bullets and casings, even if the primer and gunpowder are not viable. If you are curious about reloading and what it is, you can check out this article here.
You could purchase a kinetic bullet puller to disassemble the cartridges yourself, recycle the casing and lead bullets and take the gunpowder and use it to fertilize your yard or garden. Gunpowder is composed of a large amount of nitrogen which is used in many fertilizers. Now buying fertilizer would be cheaper, but if you have some excess gunpowder from disassembling ammo, it is safe to dispose of in the ground.
Disposing of Large Quantities of Ammunition
Do you have a large quantity of ammunition that seems to be in good condition, but not usable by you? Check with your local gun stores and see if they would be interested in purchasing or at the very least, take off your hands to resell. They might also be able to point you to some other enthusiasts who might have an odd caliber firearm that could use the ammunition you cannot.If you have a large quantity of ammunition that is damaged or otherwise unusable, consider your local law enforcement agencies. Do not take any ammunition to law enforcement unless you have received permission to do so! It’s best to call them first to see if they will even take it, and if not, they may have recommendations to where you can dispose of it.
Another option is reaching out to a hazardous waste disposal company. Many municipalities have designated facilities to dispose of hazardous waste like electronics, paint, tires and batteries. Sometimes these facilities will take ammunition. If there is not a local company, many times municipalities have designated “clean up” days where you can bring hazardous waste to a location to dispose of. Again, we recommend that you verify that the company or the event will take ammunition before taking it to a location.
How to Properly Store Ammunition
As a side note, you want to make sure your ammunition doesn’t become unusable at some point. To prevent damage, ammunition should always be stored in a cool, dry location. The best way to store ammo is in an ammo can in its factory packaging, where each cartridge is separated. When ammo is stored in bulk, outside of factory packaging, casings can take a small amount of damage rubbing against each other. Also, if you live in a more humid climate, you could consider purchasing desiccant packets to keep in the ammo cans to help keep humidity levels low. If ammunition is stored properly, then it will most likely outlast you!
Cara Conry
Author