This questions has been asked a few ties during the group rituals. Really the answer is there are a bunch of ways that one can dispose of the ritual remains. It can depend on a number of things;
What traditions you follow?
Some tradition or spells have a very specific way in which the offerings should be disposed of. If you are following that tradition you should honour that method of offering disposal.
Wha is your personal preference?
If you are working a modified system that is your own then the end result is yours on how you dispose of your rituals offerings, make sure that this method aligns with you and with the goals that you hope to attain.
What is the deity you are working with’s personal preference?
Are you working with a deity or demon? If you are, they may inform you of how they want their ritual offerings disposed of.
What type of offering you are using?
Some offers can remain on their altar indefinitely, such as crystals, which others like food will rot and will have to be disposed of after a certain amount of time.
Does the ritual have a preferred method of disposal?
If the ritual calls for the offerings to be disposed of in a certain way, then it is best to follow what is recommended.
What type of spell you are working?
If you are working a banishing ritual there are many different factors to consider when disposing of ritual materials, and there are many factors to consider when disposing of offerings.
Here are some suggestions that I have used in my practise, though like most things I say follow what feels comfortable and right for you. Rituals and spells are often very personalized and it is important to follow what aligns with your work.
Fire
Yes you can burn the offerings. Some rituals to call for this and some offerings it makes perfect sense to burn them at the end of the ritual, especially if you have a hearth or fire pit included in your ritual. Food offerings such as meat and bread can easily be burnt. Fire works great with rituals of banishment releasing and cleansing. When you burn something you banish it permanently never to return, you alter it and alter yourself in such a profound way that it never will return to you. Poppets, or other ritual dolls especially ones that might be tied to things that you wish to remove from your life can easily be burned.
Water
If your offering is organic then placing them in a body of moving water such as a stream or river to wash them away is a perfectly acceptable way to dispose of ritual offerings. You can also place some organic offerings on the beach to be swept away by the tides. Though please use common sense, our oceans and bodies of water contain enough garbage, make sure you only dispose of organic offerings.
Earth
If your offering is organic such as food, drink, blood, plant materials then there is no harm in burying it at the end of the ritual. This returns it to nature and returns the energy to the one that it was presented to. If you have a garden or compost this can be a great place to dispose of ritual offerings. Some offerings or ritual items require you to bury the item in certain places, like burying them on the property of your target, or burying them in your own yard.
Leaving for wildlife
If you are working with food items and they are not poisoned or contaminated through the working it is perfectly acceptable to leave them for wildlife and insects. This can be a great way to honour the energy of the ritual and the entities involved. This is great for gratitude rituals or rituals honouring a specific time of the year. If you work with a food item, it can be scattered and left for the local wildlife to consume. Some rituals even call for leaving such offerings for the nature spirits and the gods of the wild. It really depends on the nature of the ritual you are performing.
Self Consumption.
This is a strange one but if you are doing any translocation work or any work where you invite the entity into you some of them may ask you to consume the offering. This should only be done if the offering is not toxic and is in fact ok for consumption. I have done this during transvocation work with my companions to allow them to have the offering through my body.
Letting nature take its course
If you offer a bowl of water or do a ritual with herbs outside you can just leave them. The water will naturally evaporate and the herbs will decompose into the Earth. Nature knows how to take care of these things and some offers are completely safe to leave. Flowers will wither and return to the Earth and the passage of time will take its course. Some things are best left for nature to do with it what it will.
Leaving it on their altar.
Some offerings are permanent offerings. They are gifts for the beings that you work with and you can keep them on their alter indefinitely. This is good for offerings like Crystals, candle holders or items that will not decay. These offerings can be gifts to your companions and deities and they make the altars incredible beautiful. The nice thing about these items is that they can be used with any work that you do with them and their energies build over time.
Garbage
Ok some rituals call for this. If you are doing a curse working, a banishment working or working with offerings that are not so nice you can and should feel free to dispose of them in the garage. This will work especially well for banishments because hey, you want them removed from your life anyway! Some items are best to be disposed of as far away from you as possible. The garbage is a very efficient way to dispose of many offerings that you need removed from you.
How you dispose of your items will depend on the working you are doing as well as what the ritual is for. Think about the ritual that you are doing and what makes the most sense for disposing of the offerings. Don’t be afraid to get creative and follow your own thoughts and inspirations, but always use common sense.
