As you know, having an EPIRB onboard is a vital safety requirement in an emergency that can save your life.

What happens with your EPIRB when its battery expires, though? What do you need to do, and how do you expose of the EPIRB?

There'll be a sticker on your beacon with your registration details, and its expiry date. On the other side of the EPIRB, it will have printed the date that you need to replace the EPIRB with a new one.

Where to dispose of them

You can't simply throw it away in any ordinary bin – if the beacon activates while in the bin, and emergency services and rescue groups go searching for it, it will only waste their time.

Some battery shops will take the EPIRB and dispose of the battery for you. Generally there'll be a charge for this.

Otherwise, here's how to do it yourself. All you'll need is a Phillips >Head screwdriver and pair of cutters.

• Get in touch with AMSA. to confirm that you're decomissioning your beacon and removing it from use.

• The top and bottom half of your EPIRB will be held together with four screws. You'll need to remove these to separate the two sections.

• When you separate the top and the bottom, you'll see a wire connecting the two sections together, connecting the working parts with the power source.

• Pinch the clasp together and pull up to remove the wires from the panel in the top section. With the wire detached, you can separate the two sections. Your EPIRB is now safe and unable to function.

• If you look inside the base section, you'll be able to see the battery inside. Remove the two screws holding it in.

• Pull the battery out of the base. Generally it will be two batteries held together with a casing of some kind.

• Peel this casing off one end to expose the connecting wire, then cut it to disconnect the two. Then remove the batteries from the casing and separate.

• Dispose the batteries at a battery recycling depot, ALDI or a battery shop. The casing can be thrown out normally, though.

You can check out our Range of EPIRBs online here. You can also read more in our articles 'How do EPIRBs Work?' or 'EPIRB or PLB, Which is for me?''