How do I dispose of old contaminated powder.

S

Sea Buck

New member
While cleaning up my reloading space I have found old cardboard containers and cans of powder, the tops of some are rusted, and all are contaminated. How do I properly dispose of it ?? Sneek it in to the landfill disguised as garbage?
 
An oft-asked question. Simple answer is spread it on your garden or grass. It will quickly soak into the soil and act as a fertilizer.
 
Gee. Why didn't Mehavey think of that first? ;)

Yes, that is the general prescription. But do get rid of it as the acid fumes will cause rusting of anything steel, and not just the can lids.
 
Got any pictures to share?

There are a lot of deniers out there who claim gunpowder is immortal. The more pictures of deteriorated powder cans, fuming powder cans, the better the point can be made to the un initiated that gun powder does in fact have a shelf life.

SONQaMa.jpg



One of the manufacturers suggests that you pour it out and ignite with a flame. I have not done with smokeless, but as long as what is under neath is not flammable, and you do it outside, this ought to work. Do you have a big, wide, cast iron pan? That ought to work. Don't put a cover on the pan.......
 
I always just spread old powder out on the lawn. Works great as fertilizer. If your really concerned, spread it on the lawn before a forecasted rain storm or run the sprinklers.
 
"...have not done with smokeless..." Gets really exciting in a hurry. Outside is essential. Lit a can of damp ruined Bullseye I had put in an old clay ash tray. Column of fire was 10 plus feet high. Burned for about 20 seconds or so.
Otherwise, as mentioned, just pitch it onto your lawn or garden. It's not any different than high nitrogen fertilizer.
 
Yes. If you want to burn it, just dig a pit. Put some wax paper or foil in first if the ground is damp. But mixing it with my regular lawn fertilizer before an application spreads it around pretty well. I just wouldn't leave them mixed. Do it immediately before application.
 
I thought of that and for composting, but both smoke on the grill and what goes into vegetable garden compost can get into our food, so you want to be sure the residue is all OK for ingestion. Probably is, as we all breath the smoke some. Just being cautious.
 
The industry recommendation is to pour it out into a strip not over an inch wide on concrete or bare ground and ignite the end with a long match or paper spill.

Guncotton nitrocellulose contains 13% nitrogen but is effectively plastic. A lower level of nitration WAS plastic... celluloid. I don't know if there are soil microorganisms that will break it down into soluble nitrates the plants can use. Should have asked an agronomist when I worked in fertilizer R&D.
 
I have been reloading since 1963 with my dad and now me...

I have never seen such deteriorated containers....not naive... just have a hard time understanding how some products can be stored so that they deteriorate that badly

I have 40 year old Model engine glow flue that is still good

I have 20 year old powders that I know internally have degraded so they are used in non important pinking low power rounds... No over pressure grief. And not too many failure to fire

AFAIK nobody has 40 lbs or 80 lbs of BAD powder like a sack of fertilizer to spread...mostly it is 2 lbs here, 4 lbs there...
hell-- burn it ---or spread it
crap flush it down the toilet...

Jeeze guys, the stuff is just flammable ----not EXPLOSIVE or CARCINOGENIC or any more dangerous that a 5 gallon jug of 87 octane gasoline

Who the hell doesn't love a 40 foot slow burning run down the drive way at dusk?
 
I have spread it out on the lawn, no damage I saw, but as noted above, plastic and the mix end is it really good?

Probably best to burn it.

Slamfire: I don't know anyone says its good forever. If stored right its good for a long time.

I have seen it perfectly good and inspected (and smelled) fine even in some ratty cans.

Not something I would push but did shoot some of it.

Key was the ratty was all outside and none inside.

I have seen it where there were the brown kernels showing up, that got put on the lawn but reconsidering now.

Per Unclinick, I sure would not put it where it could get into a garden.

And you have to be sure if you put it out, that part of the lawn does not get mixed up into a garden at some point.

Just seems more better to burn.
 
Well here are the MSDS rating for ball powders (H)

"
Health Hazards Acute Toxicity (oral) Category 4
Acute Toxicity (inhalation) Category 2
Eye Damage/Irritation Category 2A
Skin Sensitization Category 1A
Reproductive Toxicity Category 1B
Specific Organ Toxicity, Category 2
Repeat Exposure
Click to expand...

3 and 4 are bad, 1 and 2 more irritants.

Parts are listed as a carcinogen but then what isn't?

https://www.hodgdon.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/11/all-hodgdon-spherical-powders_02-11-14.pdf
 
Cellulose is a biodegradable product. You find it in leaves, wood, veggies and all things that grow in the ground. Don't put it down the drain! It is toxic to fish. Either burn it in small quantities or put it on the lawn. It is not water soluble and does not migrate through the soil. It does contain Calcium, Sulfur, Potassium, and about 13% Nitrogen.
 
But is nitrocellulose biodegradable to soluble nitrates that plants can assimilate? All I can google is some mention of gradual attack by just the right fungi. I'm not going to put scrap powder on the roses.
 
Jim Watson wrote:
But is nitrocellulose biodegradable to soluble nitrates that plants can assimilate?
Click to expand...

Excellent question.

The answer is, directly, No.

But the environmental decay of nitrocellulose is a multi-step process. It produces both bio-available nitrates as well as nitric acid. The nitric acid can damage plants in high concentrations, so spread any propellant thinly over a large area and you should be fine.
 
Slamfire wrote:
There are a lot of deniers out there who claim gunpowder is immortal.
Click to expand...

Correct.

This is complicated by the fact that different powders decay at different rates and the rate of decay is influenced by storage conditions, so one can of powder may be eating through its container in seven years while another can is still good forty years later.

But whether powder dies young or lives a long life, it is totally "mortal" and ultimately goes the way of all flesh.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top