Everyone loves a well-made meal right off the grill, but cleaning up afterward isn’t as much fun. Luckily, if you grill with charcoal briquettes, getting rid of them is very simple.
However, you must follow the proper procedure. Here are three tips for the proper disposal of used charcoal briquettes.
Understand the Different Types of Charcoal Briquettes
Different types of charcoal briquettes require different methods of disposal. We’ll cover four types: lump wood charcoal, chemically treated briquettes, hardwood briquettes, and Japanese Binchotan charcoal.
Know How To Dispose Each Type
Lump wood charcoal comes from burnt natural wood. After grilling with lump wood charcoal, you can throw it away in your regular garbage can once it’s done cooling off.
Next are chemically treated briquettes, which manufacturers produce with charcoal. They feature added chemicals, like lighter fluid, so that they ignite more easily. You need to dispose of these at a hazardous waste facility because of the chemicals.
Then, you have hardwood briquettes, which also come from wood, just like lump charcoal. They sometimes contain extra chemicals. Depending on whether they contain additives, you would dispose of hardwood briquettes like you would the other two types.
Finally, there is Binchotan charcoal, which is quite difficult to light. However, once it starts burning, it will last a long time, so you’ll have to wait patiently until the flame goes out. Then, ensure that your garbage bin is fireproof and dispose of the charcoal in there.
Use Your Charcoal in Your Garden
If you use a natural form of charcoal, you should consider using it to fertilize your plants. Burnt charcoal still contains nutrients that raise your plant’s pH level.
However, you should avoid this if you’re planting acidic vegetation, such as azaleas or blueberries. A higher pH level means that the soil will be less acidic and more basic. Composting your long-burning charcoal briquettes is one of the best ways to recycle.
Overall, disposing of your charcoal after you burn it is a relatively simple process. If you follow these three tips for the proper disposal of used charcoal briquettes, you should have no problems after grilling.