Propane Canister Recycling

I certainly agree that the mfrs should be taking back and recycling the empties – by law. There would be screams, but if all mfrs had to do it, it would stand up in court.

Getting the retailers to accept them back however may be more difficult. What do you do when they simply refuse? The Police are not trained or equipped to handle this.

You could of course refill them, but there are two problems with that. The minor problem is that it is probably illegal to do so. The big problem, which is why refilling is illegal, is that the average novice or home owner is most likely to blow himself up this way.

Puncturing them should work, but the opportunities for disaster are large here too.

Cheers

Everything in the story is legit – how much of a problem in the big picture is hard to say. Coleman tried to go in the right direction – but consumers and recyclers didn’t cooperate. MSR, with much smaller mostly-butane canisters and a much different consumer mix, might have more success.

But if even 0.1% of canisters are partly full when “recycled” by consumers in unexpected places – expect too many loud bangs.

What might work: hefty deposits, plus point-of-sale take-back, plus a retailer contraption that safely vents the canisters and obviously marks them as safe.

Or maybe banning single-use cylinders, while allowing reusable cylinders like the Flame King. Except sooner or later, those need safe disposal, too.

No doubt similar problems for the ubiquitous 20-pound refillable propane cylinders. At least I can drag those to my local “resource recovery facility” for proper disposal. Or swap an old one for a full one at many locations.

Tough problem.

— Rex

I don’t throw away old ones because I don’t buy new ones for $5 each –  I refill them with $0.60 of bulk propane.

They do make good rifle targets.  After use as such, there’s no doubt wether they contain propane any more.

Some items just don’t save the energy or resources to make sense recycling.  Alumnium cans do.  Small steel items, in general, don’t.  You waste more energy rinsing food cans out with hot water than can ever be recovered in recycling them, even if the sorting and transporting them somehow, magically, required no enegy or labor to accomplish.

Even if recycling propane canisters doesn’t make sense for energy, resource, or economic reasons – I’d rather not have homes and landscapes littered with hundreds of millions of small, rusting bombs because nobody will take them.

Plus they are dangerous in the wrong hands.

Many more where those came from, often including impolite language.

For the official view of refilling small, single-use propane cylinders:

And for a safer alternative:
https://www.refuelyourfun.org

— Rex

EXCELLENT IDEA, but caution is required……

Two Customer Reviews on Home Depot Site for Flame King 1 lb. Refillable Propane Cylinder

https://www.homedepot.com/p/Flame-King-1-lb-Refillable-Propane-Cylinder-YSN164/305539511

This product should be recalled. I purchased these less than a year ago, stored them in a garage at all times, and refilled them maybe 3 times each. One of them is now leaking propane from the valve. The company has not responded to me. Earlier serial numbers than mine were recalled.

Cylinders leak after filling Cylinders leak after filling.

AND...https://www.cpsc.gov/Recalls/2017/ysn-imports-recalls-refillable-propane-cylinders