Civil War cannonballs won’t recycle, Michigan official says after bomb squad emergency

A Michigan resident apparently put a Civil War cannonball in recycling, prompting an evacuation and bomb squad response at a processing facility, officials say.

The explosive device from the 19th Century turned up on the process line at a Kent County recycling and trash facility, a county commissioner said.

“Everyone, please follow the instructions on how to recycle,” County Commissioner Phil Skaggs posted on Facebook on May 19. “Just to be clear: DO NOT RECYCLE CANNONBALLS FROM ANY WAR!”

The recycling facility was evacuated after police arrived and determined the device was live, Skaggs said, citing information provided by the Kent County Department of Public Works.

Police said the 6-inch and six-pound “shot-put ball” was loaded with gunpowder and a “percussion cap-style detonator,” The Detroit Free Press reported.

A Michigan State Police bomb squad safely removed the cannonball from the facility, Skaggs said.

This story was originally published May 22, 2020 at 12:21 PM.