Ammunitions Collection Event Makes Environmental Stewardship Easy
~DEP, SWIX, State Fire Marshal’s Office and Kevin’s Guns and Sporting Goods partner to dispose of more than 250 pounds of old or unwanted ammunition~
TALLAHASSEE – The Florida Department of Environmental Protection (DEP), along with the Southern Waste Information eXchange, Inc. (SWIX), the State Fire Marshal’s Office and Kevin’s Guns and Sporting Goods, collected more than 250 pounds of old or unwanted ammunition last weekend at a collection event in Tallahassee. This marked the seventh year DEP has co-sponsored the event.
“Improper disposal of ammunition has potential environmental, health and safety risks,” said Jorge R. Caspary, P.G., Director of DEP’s Division of Waste Management. “This event makes it easy for hunters and other residents to safely remove potentially dangerous ammunition from their homes and prevent it from ending up in Florida’s landfills.”
The proper disposal of old or unwanted ammunition can save lives by preventing it from getting into the hands of young children, and can also help protect the environment by keeping lead and other contaminants from seeping into the groundwater.
Gene Jones, Executive Director of SWIX, first proposed holding a pilot collection event in 2005 in Tallahassee, after he was unable to find a place to properly and safely dispose of some old ammunition that he had in his home.
“I realized that a mechanism is needed where people can dispose of old and unwanted ammunition in an appropriate manner,” said Jones. “We have experienced a lot of success over the last seven years, collecting nearly 6,000 pounds of old and/or unwanted ammunition just in Tallahassee alone. We were pleased to be able to provide this collection event with assistance from DEP.”
Items that were collected from 29 participants include: 120 pounds of shotgun shells, 70 pounds of bullets, 50 pounds of flares, and 11 pounds of gun powder and black powder.
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Contact: DEP Press Office, 850.245.2112, DEPNews@dep.state.fl.us
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