Recycling small gas cylinders; consumers want more options
MILWAUKEE - They’re used for portable heaters, grills and DIY projects. Retailers sell millions of them per year. If you toss them in the trash, you risk a fire. Contact 6 looks into the propane cylinder disposal problem in southeast Wisconsin.
For some families, the grill is the hot spot. The Furru family in Wauwatosa breaks out their portable grill for Brewers games and family gatherings.
"It’s nice because (the grill is) portable. It folds up," said Ann Furru. "And, it uses the little cannister so we don’t have to carry those big, giant ones."
Furru has discovered that convenient little cannister comes with a catch.
"You can get pretty much a whole meal of cooking out of one (cylinder)," said Furru. "But, we don’t know what to do with them afterwards."
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Furru has a growing collection of 14 ounce to 17 ounce propane cylinders in her garage. She can’t find a way to safely dispose of them.
"The big (propane tanks) you go to Lowe's, you go to any of the hardware stores and you can exchange them," said Furru. "But, these little cannisters you can’t exchange."
Michael Wielebski in Milwaukee has his own box of used propane cylinders. He got them while helping his dad move into a nursing home. He says his dad used the small tanks for renovation work.
"He had all these (cylinders) stored for years. Some of them empty, some of them not," said Wielebski. "I can’t get rid of them. I called all over."
Most of the fuel cylinders are not refillable, which may prompt some people to throw them in the garbage. A spokesperson for the Milwaukee Metropolitan Sewerage District (MMSD) says the propane cylinders should not go in the trash.
"They get compacted inside the trucks, there’s explosion potential, said Bill Graffin, MMSD spokesperson.
The cylinders shouldn’t go in the recycling bin either, said Rick Meyers, Milwaukee’s Sanitation Services Manager. Meyers is worried the small cannisters may explode at one of his recycling or trash facilities.
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"Even when you think these tanks are empty, there’s residual gas in there," Meyers told Contact 6.
There are two household hazardous waste collection sites in Milwaukee and one in Menomonee Falls. People who try to drop off disposable propane cylinders at the sites are told by off-loaders that they can’t take them.
"Sorry we can’t take these cylinders. You can try calling the manufacturer," said Zach Davis, operations manager for Veolia.
Davis says the small propane cylinders are rejected by their hazardous waste collection sites daily.
While the cylinders have various brand names, it appears from Contact 6’s research that many are manufactured by Worthington. Contact 6 reached out to the company several times for comment, but has not heard back.
Contact 6 reporter Jenna Sachs tried calling hardware stores, asking if they accept the cylinders for recycling. The stores she spoke with said they didn’t accept them.
Sachs tried calling scrapyards, too. Some said they don’t accept the tanks. Others said they did, but the tanks have to be punctured.
It’s a response Wielebski heard when he tried calling scrapyards, too.
"The scrapyards [said they] only take them if they’re cut in half. I’m not about to cut this in half," said Wielebski.
Standing outside a Milwaukee garbage transfer station, Meyers said he urges consumers to "put the pressure on manufacturers to create a solution."
Last year, Connecticut became the first state to require producers come up with a gas cylinder stewardship program.
Connecticut’s law requires industry-managed free and accessible recycling opportunities for certain gas cylinders, plus public education about proper end-of-life disposal.
The co-owner of Flame King, Israel Schochet, says his company makes refillable one pound cylinders. He calls the problems with non-refillable cylinders a "tarnish" on the industry, given that propane is a cleaner-burning gas.
"There’s definitely, I think, a necessity to have some sort of responsibility to deal with what happens at the end," said Schochet.
Schochet says other states are considering legislation similar to Connecticut’s. It does not appear Wisconsin is among them.
Contact 6 eventually found a scrapyard that said it would take the cylinders without them being cut or punctured. Auto and Scrap Recyclers accepted all but one of the Furru’s cylinders, saying it wasn’t empty.
The Furru’s experience leaves them wondering: if it’s this challenging to recycle the tanks, will other people go to all the effort?
"We really need a positive way to get rid of these (tanks)," said Furru.
Contact 6 reached out to AmeriGas and Blue Rhino to ask about safe disposal methods.
Blue Rhino Customer Care said, "We only handle the standard 20 pound tanks and cannot accept any other size. We typically recommend (customers) reach out to the manufacturer of the smaller tanks for available recycling options."
An AmeriGas spokesperson recommended that Contact 6 reach out to the State Propane Gas Association.
Cheryl Lytle, Executive Director of the WI Propane Gas Association, said in an email, that small, non-refillable propane tanks should be "emptied completely then recycled at a scrap metal operation."