The city of Reykjavík has published some helpful tips and data points about the last day of the year.
In a statement on the city’s website, they point out that igniting fireworks creates a lot of litter. City residents are encouraged to take part in gathering fallen fireworks parts and taking them to the Sorpa recycling centre – they even have a special bin for unexploded fireworks.
The air quality gets hit especially hard on New Year’s. At this time last year, the particle count in the air was eight times the safe limit for a single 24-hour period. This year, winds are expected to be anywhere from 8 to 13 metres per second, and dry – which should make the air quality considerably better than last year.
While Icelanders might be notorious for exploding vast quantities of fireworks on New Year’s, fireworks imports are actually down this year. Only 400 tonnes were imported this year, as opposed to 648 tonnes in 2012 and 575 tonnes in 2011. 400 tonnes should, though, be enough explosive ordinance to make the night sky very entertaining come midnight tonight.
There are also numerous locations for traditional New Year’s bonfires, but before you leave the house, don’t forget to be sure your pets are safe and comfortable.
Lastly, if you can’t be in Iceland for New Year’s but want to pretend you are, you can watch our celebrations via livestream feed tonight, through a webcam taking a panoramic view of the capital area.
From all of us at the Reykjavík Grapevine, have a joyful and memorable New Year’s Eve, wherever you are. See you in 2014!
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