Garbage collector finds inert grenades, ammo shells

Police recovered training grenades, inert rifle grenades and expended ammunition shells Monday after a waste collector discovered the military-style items discarded in a residential trash site in Barangay West Crame.

San Juan City police chief Col. Anthony Gantang said a local sanitation worker found the bag while sorting through recyclable materials and immediately notified barangay officials and law enforcement.

The discarded sack was located in a communal garbage area approximately 300 to 400 meters from the national headquarters of the Philippine National Police at Camp Crame.

Gantang confirmed that preliminary inspections revealed the grenade-like objects were hollow training devices containing no explosive powder or active detonators, making them inert.

“Assorted explosive materials, but mostly used for training — training grenades, dummy rifle grenades, and ammunition shells,” Gantang said.

“They were inside a bag within a sack at the garbage area. The garbage collector was sifting through the trash, saw the grenade-like objects inside the bag, and reported it to the barangay and the police,” he added.

Police officials noted that while the items posed no actual explosive threat, they were improperly discarded and could cause severe public alarm due to their realistic appearance.

Investigators are reviewing local closed-circuit television footage in the area to identify who left the military training equipment in the residential trash. The recovered items were transferred to the custody of police Explosive Ordnance Disposal personnel.

Gantang urged the public to contact specialized police explosive units immediately upon finding any military-style hardware or ordinance, regardless of whether the items appear inert or functional.