How Do I Get Rid Of Unwanted Calor Gas Bottles?

Calor gas bottles are a convenient means of transporting and feeding the propane, butane and patio gas used to power grills, heaters, camping stoves and much more. That makes them a common sight in people’s gardens, at campsites and many other outdoor events and places.

Even with regular use, they always seem to last much longer than you might expect them to, but eventually they do run out, which leaves you with the question of what to do with them next.

In this article, we’ll tell you all you need to know about Calor gas bottles, including what they’re made of, how you should store them when not in use, and what you should do with them once they have been emptied of their contents.

Everything you need to know about Calor gas bottles

Before we get on to what you should do when you have emptied a Calor gas bottle, it’s worth remembering how they should be stored safely. They should be kept upright and outside, in a well-ventilated place that is well away from any potential heat or fire sources.

Calor gas bottles are made out of steel with brass fittings, materials which are, of course, fully recyclable. Calor gas bottles are also pressurised. Both of these things mean that they can’t just be thrown away when empty. In fact, there are many things you can’t do with them, including scrapping them, converting them (some people apparently try to make barbecues or wood-burning stoves out of them), exporting them, filling them or trading them.

In fact, there’s only one thing you should do with an empty Calor gas bottle – return it.

One of the most important things you need to know about Calor gas bottles is that – according to Calor’s website – they “are and remain the property of Calor Gas Limited at all times”. That means that once they’ve been emptied, they should be returned to the company. That doesn’t mean that you personally have to return them directly to Calor Gas Ltd yourself, you can take them back to where you bought them (as long as that was an authorised dealer) or, indeed, any other authorised dealer or distribution centre.

That includes being able to return them to us here at KG Smith & Son.

Partly, such tight control is for financial reasons – these bottles are expensive to make, and it is estimated that the industry as a whole loses some £9 million a year to their illegal misappropriation. 

However, of even greater importance are the health and safety implications. As mentioned earlier, Calor gas bottles are pressurised, which means that they can be extremely dangerous if carelessly handled. 

And even apparently empty bottles are likely to contain some of their original contents, so there’s also the health and safety considerations involving the disposal of hazardous substances.

How to recycle your Calor gas cylinders

Empty Calor gas bottles should always be returned to Calor Gas Limited – usually via an authorised outlet or supplier such as KG Smith & Son – and not sent for scrappage or recycling to any unauthorised third party.  

Here at KG Smith & Son, we are authorised to supply Calor gas bottles in a range of sizes for both domestic and commercial use, from 4.5kg bottles of butane and 5kg bottles of patio gas to 47kg bottles of propane. 

Please note, however, that Calor gas bottles cannot be ordered online, only by calling our office. They are also only available for collection or local delivery.

If you’d like to know more about our selection of Calor gas bottles, or further advice on their safe storage and disposal, please get in touch with us today.