In recent months waste management companies and local authorities have become increasingly concerned about the volume of large gas canisters appearing at sorting plants, raising fears of a large explosion (see letsrecycle.com story).
The Waste Industry Safety and Health (WISH) is drafting guidance but has told letsrecycle.com that there remains “work to do”, and it will not be ready before the middle of 2023.
Data
Chris Jones, chair of WISH, explained that a working group has been examining MRF explosions and gathering data on the frequency and magnitude of incidents resulting from aerosols for two years. He said the principles involved would apply to gas canisters too.
Mr Jones remarked: “The data is statistically inconclusive and there is evidence of significant under reporting. So far there is no evidence of a sudden recent increase in incidents. Some MRFs seem to have significant ongoing recurring incidents, some have problems with a potentially seasonal pattern, whilst others have few or none.
“There are a number of theories about why this might be (which need to be investigated) but at the moment the precise reasons for these differences are not well understood.”
Regional
Another obstacle with the guidance has been large regional discrepancies in the amount of gas canisters being reported.
For example, facilities near large camping sites will often receive more gas cylinders used for barbecues compared to those in Central London, for example.
Jarno Stet, recycling and waste manager at Westminster city council, told letsrecycle.com that in the capital, nitrous oxide gas canisters are causing a huge issue for the sector.
New and emerging waste streams: these bad boys are a real pain. We must have cleared over a 100 over the past few days. They are dangerous when disposed of improperly and require costly handing as hazardous waste. pic.twitter.com/tDl3HL4Ej9
— The Municipal Oracle (@MunicipalOracle) August 30, 2022
Nitrous oxide was previously used from small torpedo-like canisters, but these have seen an increase in size, posing a higher risk of explosions at MRFs.
Mr Stet said that “the empty canisters are increasingly found abandoned on streets or public spaces after weekends, large parties, festivals and events”. This has been recently highlighted after the Notting Hill Carnival when “thousands of canisters were discarded”.
This comes at significant costs to councils, with costs of up to £65 per unit “not uncommon”, he said.
Problem
Waste and recycling companies continue to raise awareness about the issue following a recent gas canister explosion at a MRF in South Kirkby in the hopes of preventing any further accidents, with WISH working on guidance likely to be published next year.
Wakefield council, which operates the MRF, then said that “luckily no one was hurt, but the incident posed a very dangerous situation for our staff” (see letsrecycle.com story).
Some local authorities, including Plymouth city council and Bolsover district council, are urging their residents to avoid disposing of these in their residual waste and recycling bins.
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