There are many products available that contain gases and mixtures of gases stored in a pressurized steel container. You are probably most familiar with propane tanks that are used for cooking or grilling. These steel tanks may seem empty when you can no longer get a flame from them, but they often have small amounts of pressurized gas remaining.
If you deposit one of these tanks in the main recycling stream, it will get mixed in with everything else, contaminating the recycling stream. If the tank is accidentally compacted in a sorting facility, it could explode, potentially injuring workers and damaging the facility! Never put containers that held flammable gas in your municipal recycling stream.
To reduce the health and safety risks from mismanagement, here are a few ways you can dispose of an “empty” propane tank:
If the tank is damaged, it’s time to retire it. As we’ve noted, your curbside recycle bin is NOT the right way. Here are some other options to dispose of an old tank:
If you’re visiting one of Texas’ lovely state parks, you may have packed a small camp stove that uses those little green 16-ounce propane canisters. Before heading to a park, be sure to check the facility’s rules and local burn ban status to ensure that camp stoves are allowed. In general, most parks allow gas camp stoves, and may not allow campfires, depending on current wildfire danger.
If you use up a fuel canister while enjoying the great outdoors, pack it out with you to dispose of later at your local HHW facility.
