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Alameda County, Del Norte County , West Contra Costa County, Marin County, Santa Cruz County, City of Santa Barbara, Ports of LA and San Diego, the City of Oceanside, and the California Product Stewardship Council have partnered with CalRecycle, California State Parks and Coastal Commission’s California Boating Clean and Green Program to collect expired marine flares and educate residents about marine flare management safety, including the advantages of reusable distress signals, to protect California communities and the local environment.
Residents and boaters berthing their boats in Alameda County, Del Norte County , West Contra Costa County, Marin County, Santa Cruz County, Santa Barbara County, LA County, and San Diego County can take their expired marine flares to their county’s designated marine flare collection events in the fall. Only expired marine flares from residents and boaters berthing their boats in the covered areas will be accepted. No marine flares from commercial craft or an organization nor other forms of household hazardous waste (HHW) will be accepted during the special event. Proof of residence or eligibility is required (i.e., license, registration, or slip fee).
West Contra Costa County Cities include: El Cerrito, Hercules, Pinole, San Pablo, Richmond, El Sobrante, Kensington, Crockett, Port Costa, Rodeo, and unincorporated West Contra Costa County.
Wednesday, Oct. 29 – Saturday, Nov. 8, 2025
Wednesday – Saturday, 9 AM – 4 PM
101 Pittsburg Avenue, Richmond, CA 94801
The United States Coast Guard (USGC) requires boaters to carry several unexpired visual distress signals on board, day and night. Pyrotechnic marine flares are a common type of distress signal, but they are explosive and contain toxic chemicals and must be managed as hazardous waste when expired or no longer needed. To assure safety and protect the environment, it is essential to manage single-use pyrotechnic marine flares carefully. Boaters should never throw expired or unneeded flares overboard or in the trash.
Single-use pyrotechnic marine flares expire and must be replaced every 36 to 42 months after their manufacture date and recreational vessels generate about 174,000 pyrotechnic expired marine flares every year, according to the California Expired Marine Flare Working Group estimate in 2011. However, California boaters do not currently have access to an ongoing state-wide disposal program for expired marine flares. To avoid the difficulties of safe disposal for pyrotechnic marine flares, the partners encourage boaters to consider an electronic visual distress signal device (eVDSD) as a reusable, safe and cost-effective alternative to buying the single-use pyrotechnic marine flares.
Read more on The Santa Barbara Independent
