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​Flare Explodes In Man's Hands After Being Left In Recycling Bin

​Flare Explodes In Man's Hands After Being Left In Recycling Bin

The marine flare went off after being left in a recycling bin and ricocheted around the room before workers were evacuated.

Jess Hardiman

Jess Hardiman

We've all heard of occupational hazards, but what about having a flare explode in your hands as part of the daily grind? Take a look for yourself.

Credit: SWNS

The waste worker was lucky - that didn't look like a nice surprise to get while you're sorting through household recycling.

The marine flare went off after being left in a recycling bin, and ricocheted around the room. The employee and other workers were then immediately evacuated from the plant in Waterbeach, Cambridgeshire - where a second flare was also found among festive rubbish.

Recycling firm Amey then decided to release the footage of the incident, hoping that the shocking video might encourage people to 'think safe' when disposing of waste over the Christmas period. In short, don't be a dick and put flares in the recycling.

Credit: SWNS

Amey's Chris Smiles said: "At Waterbeach we deal with a range of waste for local authorities and businesses, which includes items which have been put out for kerbside recycling.

"The marine flare came through with aluminium recycling but exploded in the hands of one of our employees when it reached our manual sorting area."

Smiles also said that the employee was lucky, and that the outcome could have been even nastier, saying: "Thankfully he was protected by his work clothing and was uninjured, but the consequences could have been much worse."

Credit: SWNS

In trying to get others to be more careful, Smiles explained that there are many things to bear in mind when it comes to recycling materials.

"Now, with Christmas almost upon us, we're urging residents to 'think safe' and consider whether an item could be a risk before throwing it away," said Smiles.

"For example, many presents will come with batteries but throwing items such as batteries (particularly lithium batteries found in mobile phones) in with general rubbish can cause a fire.

"No fire risk item should be placed in your normal or recycling bin - whether that's a flare, fireworks, shotgun cartridges, gas cylinders or batteries."

He also added: "If you're not sure how to dispose of an item check your local authority's website for expert advice."

How's that for a bad day at the office? The worst the rest of us get is usually a false fire alarm that drags us out into the cold - and even then we're all secretly grateful for a cheeky 10 minutes off work.

Featured Image Credit: SWNS

Topics: Christmas, UK News, News, Recycling