How can I reuse or recycle empty bottled gas/propane cylinders?

Lyndon has emailed to ask about reusing – or recycling – propane gas canisters (the ones for heating, barbecues or patio heaters etc):

Trying to tidy up the yard at work, what can I do with some old gas bottles?

If there is a company name on the bottles (like Calor Gas, Flo Gas or TotalGaz – to name but three), the safest/laziest thing might be to contact them to see if they could pick them up – gas bottles get reused again and again by gas supply companies and if the canisters are still in reusable condition, they might be more than willing to take them off your hands and put them back into circulation. (They’ll be able to dispose of any remaining gas too.) (UPDATED: see the note below from Calor – you should really give their tanks back to them.)

Empty or old gas bottles also pop up quite frequently on Freecycle/Freegle, Gumtree and eBay as it is cheaper to refill old tanks than buy new ones every time (and hurrah for that!). Again, hopefully they’ll disappear from your yard with minimal effort and be reused again & again.

As for non-intended purpose reuses, some people turn them into outdoor woodburning stoves – but do be careful if you want to try anything like that yourself! Safety first, and all that.

Have you got any suggestions for how he could reuse these bottles? Or ways to recycle them? And any other advice (particularly about safety issues)?

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78 Responses to “How can I reuse or recycle empty bottled gas/propane cylinders?”


  1. Kalotaszegi-Tracht Kalotaszegi-Trachten sind sehr üppig.

  2. Das liegt nicht nur daran, dass unsere Community eine der größten Deutschland, Österreich und der Schweiz ist.

  3. Who buys animal body parts and why ?

  4. Read This says:

    It certainly is almost unattainable to see well-educated visitors on this subject, even though you look like you comprehend what exactly you’re raving about! Bless You

  5. Dave says:

    Well we have 30 or so to get rid off and Calor depoyts give us £7.50 a bottle (max 5) but Flo gas give us nothing but will cllect for free

  6. Bethany says:

    I also agree that Calor gas is kind of irresponsible as they neglect their customers’ opinion and requests. They do not answer “uncomfortable” emails indeed. I am really disappointed by their “philosophy” and practice…



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