The Coast Guard service was today orchestrating the collection of outdated and potentially dangerous maritime alarm flares.
Boat owners were being asked to hand over expired pyrotechnics at the coast guards' base in Howth, Co Dublin, today, and in Youghal, Co Cork, next Saturday.
Members of the public, fishermen and pleasure craft owners were invited to deliver their devices during day-long operations.
The collection scheme was being backed by the Departments of Justice and Defence and was aimed at easing the problem of storage disposal of out-of-date flares.
The Minister for the Marine, Mr Ahern said: "This is an important safety initiative. It is essential that such equipment is disposed of correctly and safely when no longer of use."
"The Coast Guard collection gives users the opportunity to dispose of time-expired flares in a safe manner.
"It also affords users the opportunity to check their equipment to ensure that expiry dates are valid," Mr Ahern said. PA