Police in South Simcoe say they had to call in the military for assistance after grenades were found in the garbage in a central Ontario community.

Const. Rich Williamson told CBC News the small explosives were found at around 11:20 a.m. ET by private garbage collectors in the Sandy Cove Acres neighbourhood of Innisfil, which is a retirement area located about 100 kilometres north of Toronto.

"It obviously came out of somebody's household garbage," Williamson said, adding workers spotted the grenades while packing the garbage and decided to throw it onto the grass.

Just leave it where it is; we'll deal with it where it lies. - Const. Rich Williamson on disposed weapons

"Probably not the smartest thing to do," the constable admitted.

Williamson said police determined this was a situation that would be best handled by military personnel, who came from Canadian Forces Base Borden, which is about 35 kilometres away from the town.

Officers at the scene say Canadian Forces personnel determined the grenades were inert and removed them at around 2 p.m.

Fear of the unknown

There was nothing live about the explosives and the insides were removed, Williamson said, adding he suspected the grenades were likely kept on someone's mantle for decoration before being thrown out.

"[There was] nothing really incredibly suspicious about it," he noted. "It's the not knowing that makes it difficult for us."

However, police say that one person's decision to toss grenades in the garbage left two police cruisers tied up for several hours.

"We'd prefer we didn't waste our resources that way," Williamson said. He acknowledged it's not the first time police have had to deal with suspicious weapons.

If members of the public come across ammunition, firearms or grenades, police say it's best to contact them immediately before taking any action.

"Hazardous materials come in many forms," the constable said. "Just leave it where it is; we'll deal with it where it lies."

Police say anyone who has weapons to dispose of should not throw them out, but call police instead.