Summertime is a great time for cookouts and barbecues. What’s better than gathering around the grill with friends and family, cooking up some delicious food? If you’re like me, you love using a charcoal grill to cook your food. But what do you do with the ashes when you’re done cooking? In this blog post, we will discuss how to properly dispose of charcoal grill ashes so that you don’t have to worry about them causing any harm to your home or environment!
Extinguish it
First things first, you need the charcoal to be out and completely cooled before disposing of it. Close all of the vents on your grill to cut off the oxygen supply to the fire and wait at least 48 hours.
I normally extinguish my grill and cover it when it’s cooled. I deal with the ash at the start of my next cook, so the ash has plenty of time to cool completely.
Separate Ash from Unused Charcoal.
Unless you did an all-day cook, or burned really hot, there is a good chance there is still some charcoal mixed with your ash. This charcoal can be reused so don’t toss it out with the ash.
Most of the ash will have fallen into the collection bin, but cleaning out any remaining ash from the grill will help you achieve good airflow (and thus good temperatures) the next time you grill.
You can use an ash removal tool to rake through your remaining charcoal and push any ash through the holes in the grill and into the ash collection pan. As long as you cover your grill the remaining charcoal can stay in the grill, protected from the elements, until the next time you cook.
Another great way to easily separate your ash from your charcoal is to use a charcoal basket. Once your charcoal has cooled you can give these baskets a shake set them to the side while you push the fallen ash into the receptacle.
Dispose of the Ashes
Untreated Charcoal
If you are using natural lump untreated charcoal, it has completely cooled, and no lighter fluid was used, this step is very simple. You can safely dispose of your ash in a number of ways:
Put it in the Compost Bin
Whether you have your own, or the city comes and picks up yard waste, natural ash is biodegradable and can be added to compost.
Use it in the Garden
Instead of composting it, you could add ash directly to your soil. Charcoal ash can raise the Ph levels of your soil and add nutrients such as manganese, zinc, calcium, and iron.
Charcoal ash is also high in potassium, which helps flowers and fruits develop. Adding too much ash or doing so too frequently may increase the Ph too much for plants that require acidic soil, so use ash in your garden with care.
Put it in the Trash
It’s safe to dispose of charcoal ash with your other trash so long as it’s completely cool.
Treated Charcoal and Briquettes
Treated charcoal must be handled differently. These are charcoals that have lighter fluid and other additives that make them easy to light. You’ll see them advertised with sayings such as “easy to light” and “lights instantly”.
Ash from this type of charcoal is considered hazardous waste. Collect cooled ash in a metal container such as a coffee can and take it to a hazardous waste disposal collection site for disposal when the can is full.
Briquettes are made from small bits of wood and sawdust that have been mixed with binders compressed into the common “pillow” shape. The additives used in briquettes could be harmful to plants and the environment, so this type of ash should not be used in compost or soil.
If your briquettes say they are all-natural it may be safe to treat them as you would lump charcoal but I recommend treating all briquette ash as hazardous waste.
Final Thoughts
Cleaning up after a day of grilling doesn’t have to be complicated, and knowing how to safely dispose of your ash is easy once you know which kind you’re working with. If using natural charcoal any of the disposal methods are safe. When using treated charcoal or briquettes, be sure to treat the ash as hazardous waste. In all cases, make sure that the ash is completely cool before disposing of it.
Happy grilling!