At Fireworks for Africa, we take our surroundings very seriously, which is why the company has put measures in place to protect the environment, whilst operating in our day to day activities.
Aerial display shells, seen at most displays, are made from either cardboard or plastic. The newer, plastic shells are cheaper and easier to work with, as they are waterproof, but we have chosen to stick to the old fashioned cardboard shells because they are environmentally friendlier. The cardboard shells are essentially made of paper and are totally bio-degradable.
Our confetti is also bio-degradable. It costs more but we believe that it’s definitely worth it in the long run. When we fire confetti outdoors we clean it up, bring it back to our store and shred it to mix into our compost heap. We have also started to use effects that are less noisy and have removed salutes and large calibre shells from our stores.
We have introduced low noise displays, using our state-of-the-art mines and comets, which produce a maximum of 50db. You will have seen these effects at stadiums across South Africa.
At our facility in Johannesburg, we recycle everything that can be recycled. We have separate bins for glass, paper, tin, leftover explosives (which we destroy) and garbage. Even the water used on the property goes back into our extensive garden and all garden waste is made into compost. We also only use batteries for back up power which is far ‘greener’ than gensets! No poisons are used on the property, not for pest control or for keeping our 1km boundary fence clean. We prefer the old method of clearing by hand, which takes far longer but is better for the environment and the extensive bird life found at the facility. we are proud to provide homes for owls, Hornbills and Guinea Fowl here.
The Fireworks for Africa team also spends a lot of time in the Muldersdrift area, cutting down alien invader plants such as Black Wattle, which, unfortunately, are rife in this area. Our team shares a common concern for the environment and we all try our best to conserve it in any way possible.