\n The incident is one of four small fires caused by gas canisters at the Materials Recycling Facility (MRF) in Bodmin alone. Fortunately, quick-thinking staff were able to extinguish all the fires swiftly, and no one was hurt.\n<\/p>\n
\n Cornwall Council and SUEZ recycling and recovery UK, which manages the county\u2019s waste and recycling, are now appealing to the public to ensure gas canisters are disposed of safely and correctly.\n<\/p>\n
\n Gas canisters, commonly used with camping stoves and DIY products, are causing serious concern among waste management officials.\n<\/p>\n
\n Craig Mouatt, Regional Manager for SUEZ, said: \u201cThe dangers are very real. These canisters are pressurised and can spark an explosion when crushed in the baling machine at the materials recycling facility.\n<\/p>\n
\n \u00a0\u201cThey pose risks if put in recycling bags or with black bag rubbish and have caused fires in the collection trucks, too.\n<\/p>\n
\n \u201cInstead, please take your canisters to your local Household Waste Recycling Centre (HWRC), where our trained staff will dispose of them safely.\u201d\n<\/p>\n
\n Box of gas canisters that had been out with household recycling (Image: Cornwall Council)\n<\/p>\n
\n 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.\u00a0Empty aerosol cans go in your red recycling bag.\n<\/p>\n
\n Councillor Loic Rich, Cabinet member with responsibility for Environment and Climate Change at Cornwall Council, said: \u201cI\u2019d like to thank the staff for acting so quickly and preventing these fires from spreading.\n<\/p>\n
\n \u201cIt\u2019s brilliant that more people are recycling their aerosols, but please be careful and make sure you dispose of old gas canisters safely.\n<\/p>\n
\n \u201cWe also need to make sure that items containing lithium-ion batteries, such as electronic devices and vapes, don\u2019t 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.\u201d\n<\/p>\n