---
title: "5 of the worst things to put in a burn pit"
description: "For years, troops have burned their unwanted trash in large burn pits, set ablaze with diesel fuel. Here are a few things you shouldn't burn."
date: "2018-04-19"
modified: "2021-04-20"
authors:
  - name: "Tim Kirkpatrick"
    link: "https://www.wearethemighty.com/authors/tkirkpatrick/"
url: "https://www.wearethemighty.com/popular/worst-things-to-put-in-a-burn-pit/"
categories:
  - "Afghanistan War"
  - "History"
  - "War History"
---

# 5 of the worst things to put in a burn pit

![](<https://www.wearethemighty.com/wp-content/uploads/legacy/assets.rbl.ms/17491344/origin.png>)

If you've ever deployed to the Middle East, then you've probably experienced a few explosions here and there, heard a firefight once or twice, and smelled some pretty nasty sh*t burning nearby.

---

Well, that burning sh*t is either the bad guys torching tires as a signal to warn others that allied forces are in the area, or it's the smell of a burn pit coming from a military base.

For years, troops serving on the frontlines have burned their unwanted trash, either in barrels or in large burn pits, set ablaze with diesel fuel.

![](<https://www.wearethemighty.com/wp-content/uploads/legacy/assets.rbl.ms/17491345/origin.jpg>)

Since burn pits are the primary avenue through which troops discard their waste products, plenty of items get thrown into the pits that shouldn't be near an open flame — like the following.

## 1. Unspent rounds

It's common for troops to experience a misfire when discharging their weapons for various reasons. After they clear the chamber, they either let the unspent round fall to the ground or, sometimes, they get tossed into a burn pit.

That's a bad idea. Bullet projection is based on igniting the gunpowder inside the shell as a propellant. No one wants to get shot by a burn pit.

Just because the primer was struck and nothing happened doesn't mean the round is dead — it's still alive. Sort of like a zombie.

## 2. Human remains

This is just nasty. Who wants to smell a bad guy's leg roasting over an open flame in the burn pit? On second thought, please don't answer that.

## 3. Batteries

Various types of batteries will explode if exposed to intense heat. No troop wants to get hit with shrapnel during a firefight, let alone get blasted by battery fragments while inside the wire.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QPHhB0uIxR0

([Mr. Thinker](<https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC_cY7_vTYqxOk0iwGjcB4Dw>) | YouTube)

## 4. Miscut detonation cord

Occasionally, small amounts of det cord get improperly cut, resulting in some unwanted wire that gets tossed away. *No bueno*.

If certain det cords come in contact with an accelerant, the heat from the fire can cause an explosion. Being too close to that blast can result in injury — and no one wants that.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wVmWtCGyEYs

([MyXplosionTV](<https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCc_r1MZ8Zc00JdzrefaNu0g>) | YouTube)

### Also Read: [4 of the worst things about getting promoted](<https://www.wearethemighty.com/mighty-culture/4-of-the-worst-things-about-getting-promoted/>)

## 5. Unexploded ordnance

This is pretty obvious, right? It's amazing what gets thrown into a burn pit.

## Author
Tim Kirkpatrick entered the Navy in 2007 as a Hospital Corpsman and deployed to Sangin, Afghanistan with 3rd Battalion 5th Marines in the fall of 2010. Tim now has degrees in both Film Production and Screenwriting. tim.kirkpatrick@wearethemighty.com