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The southern Estonian university town of Tartu will stop using fireworks at public events from this fall and the ban on the use of higher category fireworks will be added to the guidelines for organizing environmentally friendly events.
The Tartu city government decided to limit the use of fireworks in the city in order to reduce excessive noise and environmental damage. In the future, medium and high hazard F3 and F4 category fireworks may not be used at public events in the city of Tartu. The same ban also applies to all events supported by the city.
The procedure for using fireworks will be added to the minimum requirements of the instructions for organizing environmentally friendly events in Tartu. All organizers of public events and events that have received support from the city must follow the guide.
Sten Svetljakov, head of the culture department of the Tartu city government, said that, to date, there are many good alternatives in the field of event management for making the visual design of an event enjoyable.
"Various lighting solutions are mainly used and we will definitely see more drone performances in the future to replace fireworks. I believe that Tartu is setting a very good example with the change, so that we should not hold on to old things that can be harmful to the environment as well as to many smaller and bigger residents of Tartu," Svetljakov said.
Fireworks of a higher category create a lot of noise and a lot of light and air pollution. Substances emitted from pyrotechnic products are toxic and carcinogenic.
In addition, the use of pyrotechnics also produces a lot of waste, which is included in the list of hazardous waste, but often, due to people's ignorance, still ends up among domestic waste. The groups most at risk from noise and light flashes are young children and people with illnesses, such as epileptics and those suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder. Animals and birds that nest in and around the city are also sensitive to noise and light.
Pyrotechnic products of the F2 category, which cause less disturbance, can be used in the future, but according to the guidelines for environmentally friendly events, it is recommended to find alternatives that focus on visuals.
Fireworks of a higher category can still be used at private events on private property, but permission must be obtained from the city's entrepreneurship development department in advance.