Capt Suwisit Kirirak of the Karon Police was informed of the grenade at 4:56am by the national 191 hotline call centre after a local resident discovered the device.
The grenade had been wrapped in paper and hidden among rubbish dumped by the side of the road in Soi Pluk Jae, off Patak Rd.
Capt Suwisit and EOD bomb squad members soon arrived and had the device safely in hand, identifying the explosive as an M26 grenade.
The grenade was in “100% working condition”, said Capt Suwisit.
“The EOD squad said that this explosive has a range of up to 30 metres,” he added.
However, Capt Suwisit said the grenade was in “99.99% safe condition”, as in addition to the pin still being inserted, the handle was restricted with a green plastic band preventing the handle from being released.
The grenade was taken by EOD team for safekeeping.
“We will check CCTV in the area to find who had left the grenade in the bin,” Capt Suwisit assured.