It’s really important for you to be extra cautious when disposing of a self-combustible item such as a gas canister.
Gas canisters – even when empty – are potentially hazardous and should never be put in your rubbish bin. Putting these in your general waste or recycling bins is extremely dangerous as it might explode or hurt someone.
How can an explosion happen?
The waste sector has seen an increasing number of instances across the UK where items including gas canisters and batteries haven’t been disposed of correctly and then caused an explosion.
If you put these items in your bins, you are creating a hazard for the collection crews as well as staff at the recycling centres.
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Your collection crew will be at risk should the batteries or gas cylinders get crushed by the compaction mechanism in their vehicle, which could cause an explosion.
There’s also the dangerous possibility of these items exploding when they are offloaded at the recycling centres, where they can cause serious injury to plant staff and damage to machinery and buildings.
What should I do with my gas canister?
If you have one, it’s best to check with the company you bought it from as they should be able to refill or dispose of it for you. This is the safe and responsible thing to do.
The smaller non-refillable gas bottle canisters (used for small cooking heaters) can be recycled with plastics and cans at kerbside ONLY IF they have no fluid or gas inside.
“Can cause fires to break out”
Cllr David A Bithell, Lead Member for Environment and Transport, said: “If you have a gas canister to dispose of, it’s really important to be responsible and you need to get in touch with the company of supplier you originally got it from. Hazardous waste items like batteries, gas cylinders, chemicals or other possible sources of heat should never go in your general waste. Putting these items in your bin is reckless and can cause fires to break out, creating dangerous situations that will put many people at risk.”
Recycling batteries
You can recycle all types of batteries at the three recycling centres in Wrexham – even car batteries!
But if it’s just your everyday household batteries you’re looking to recycle, and if it’s more convenient for you, you should have the option to recycle them at a local shop too.
That’s because since February 2010, shops who sell more than 32kg of batteries a year (approx. 345 x four-packs of AA batteries) have to provide battery recycling facilities in-store…so all the larger supermarkets and retailers provide these.
For more information on recycling in Wrexham, take a look at this…
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