There were four fires involving gas canisters in one month alone
This CCTV footage shows the moment a gas canister exploded at one of Cornwall’s recycling facilities.
In September alone, gas canisters, which are used with camping stoves and DIY products, caused four small fires at the Materials Recycling Facility in Bodmin.
Staff reacted quickly and extinguished the fires. Fortunately, no one was hurt.
Cornwall Council and SUEZ recycling and recovery UK, which is contracted to manage Cornwall’s rubbish and recycling, is urging people to dispose of canisters safely.
They can be taken to any of Cornwall’s Household Waste and Recycling Centres (HWRCs). They should not be put out for collection with rubbish or recycling.
Craig Mouatt, Regional Manager for SUEZ said: “The dangers are very real. These canisters are pressurised and can spark an explosion when crushed in the baling machine at the materials recycling facility.
“They pose risks if put in recycling bags or with black bag rubbish, and have caused fires in the collection trucks too.
“Instead, please take your canisters to your local Household Waste Recycling Centre (HWRC), where our trained staff will dispose of them safely.”
Aerosols, such as deodorant and hairspray cans, contain a much smaller amount of ignitable gas and the bottles are under less pressure, meaning they do not pose the same danger as gas canisters. Empty aerosol cans go in your red recycling bag.
Gas cans should be recycled at your local Household Waste and Recycling Centre (HWRC0
Councillor Loic Rich, Cabinet member with responsibility for Environment and Climate Change at Cornwall Council, said: “I’d like to thank the staff for acting so quickly and preventing these fires from spreading.
“It’s brilliant that more people are recycling their aerosols but please be careful and make sure you dispose of old gas canisters safely.
“We also need to make sure that items containing lithium-ion batteries, such as electronic devices and vapes, don’t end up in the bin. They can also cause fires when crushed, putting collection crews, as well as the staff at our processing sites in danger.”
See Cornwall Council’s A to Z of Recycling for more information on how to recycle different items safely.
Press release issued on November 13, 2025