Can You Put A Gas Bottle In A Skip?

Gas bottles come in all shapes and sizes; they can be used for everything from super-portable camping stoves to enormous barbecues. A gas bottle can even be used as the main source of fuel for an off-grid home or campervan. Bottled gas is usually either propane, butane, or a mixture of the two, making it a really flexible fuel source for use in a variety of conditions.

Types of gas bottles

Propane gas bottles are usually used for barbecues and campervans. Propane is great for use in colder climates as it has a low boiling point of -42 degrees. This means it will ignite even in very cold temperatures.

Butane gas bottles are more suitable for portable stoves, they are often used on shorter camping adventures in warmer climates. The boiling point of butane is -2 degrees, so it isn’t suitable for use in cold climates as the stove will not light if the temperature is below zero.

Gas bottle disposal

Once you’ve used your gas, you might start to think about gas bottle disposal, or whether you can recycle a gas bottle. It is extremely important to recycle gas bottles safely, so today we’re answering a question that’s often asked, ‘Can you put a gas bottle in a skip?’.

The short answer is no, but let’s look at the reasons why, and find out the correct way to deal with gas bottle disposal.

Can I put gas bottles in a skip?

When waste is disposed of in a skip it is sent to a processing plant to be separated and sorted using a variety of manual and mechanical processes. Gas bottles, whether empty or full, can be very dangerous to have in an environment where there might be sparks from mechanical processes. Some of these processes also involve crushing waste, and a gas bottle could explode if crushed.

It’s really important that gas bottles are stored and disposed of safely, they should never be put in your household waste and cannot be placed in a skip.

How to recycle gas bottles

Recycling gas bottles is relatively straightforward as the bottles can be refilled and reused. Usually, if you need to replenish your supply you can take an empty bottle back to the gas provider and have it refilled. If you no longer need the gas bottle then don’t worry, you can still return it to the supplier, they will then refill and reuse it for another customer. Some bottled gas suppliers will even arrange for their local depot to come and collect larger empty gas bottles from your home.

Local authorities often have facilities to accept gas bottles at Household Waste Recycling Centres (HWRC), the staff on site will be able to let you know where to put empty or full gas bottles to make sure they are stored safely. If you need to recycle a gas bottle it’s always important to check you are using a licensed waste carrier, who will deal with recycling or disposal correctly.

Conclusion

When you are paying for skip hire it’s important to know what you can dispose of, and understand any restrictions on what is allowed to be placed in your skip. Although gas bottles cannot be placed in a skip or disposed of in your household waste, they can easily be returned to the original manufacturer or recycled via the appropriate facilities.

Always ensure your provider is a licensed waste carrier and provides safe and efficient waste management solutions to everyone.