Mapp gas cylinder disposal FAQ

Good point! I have checked my local authority web site and they do not accept spent gas cylinders of any kind and suggest you return them to whoever you bought them from and the cylinders should be labelled with information about disposal. I am going to check out the small cylinders I have for a gas torch and a portable stove. Most of the time I use an ancient Calor gas torch on a hose that attaches to standard calor gas cylinders which I “refill” when used up.

Such th Gas bottles (contents must be identifiable) - take to the Household Waste Recycling Centre

nib

Checked out my gas cylinders which are for my portable gas stove bought from Aldi, no information on the cans about disposal, only one line in the instructions which say “dispose safely”

I had a Benzomatic propane torch which never worked properly and I seem to have disposed of that and any cylinders.

Checked out Rothenburgers site and they had some information about disposal suggesting that removing the safety valve with a special Allen type key will empty it and suggest once empty it is classed as scrap metal and can be disposed in such a facility.

I had a more detailed look at my LA waste disposal policy and when it comes to gas cylinders the operative words were “refillable cylinders”. So presumably the yellow MAPP and blue Propane cylinders which are not refillable can be disposed of and I suppose any other type of disposable cylinder too.

I think to be on the safe side I would get the Rothenburger key and purge the cylinder first.

I don't know about MAPP gas, but for butane, I wonder if there are any special arrangements? Since many aerosols changed to butane propellant, an empty, disposible butane cyclinder is surely little different from an empty aerosol can?

Is there a difference in that butane can be a liquid at modest pressure but other kinds of cylinders are for storing high pressure gases. Regular aerosol cans are fairly thin, whereas pressure vessels are designed to withstand much greater pressures. When you buy butane lighter fluid it just comes in a regular thin aerosol can.

Theo

Ah! that sounds practical. Is this going to be an unobtainable key. I have sets of security avoidance stuff for one purpose or another but where are they!

Ah! That looks makeable unless they dish them out free. Thanks

Is this a proper refillable cylinder or just one of the small "cans" used for most modern blow torches that don't have a hose?

If just the can type, I have always just treated them as disposable, and chucked them in the bin (same as you might an empty can of deodorant or furniture polish)

I got mine from Screwstation, but neither seem to sell them now

That *looks* like a standard Schrader valve core remover.

Tim

very close, my schrader key won't engage the vent hole (I didn't try too hard for obvious reasons)

Even if it dod, it couldn't turn due to having other implements on the other "wings" that protrude all around, the slot is deeper on the vent key, and it wouldn't surprise me if one is 3mm, the other 1/8", but you'd get away with that.

Bonfire (and run) :-)

They are £3.00 or so from plumbers merchants. If I had known that this morning, I could have got one.

There was a dust cart explosion recently with fingers pointed at a gas cylinder but I haven't seen any detail about what type. Hertfordshire don't want to know but Bedfordshire offer several sites which can accept empty cylinders. As has been said upthread, with the valve out it becomes scrap steel.

Even without the valve out it sounds like it will not be much different to an empty large aerosol can with a butane propellant. (just leaving the torch on with the valve open for a while would drain it pretty well)