What do you do with small propane tanks: I have a small Webber cooker that uses the small propane tanks. My problem is, where do you dispose of them? The local landfill wants $5 apiece...

2Dragons Loc: The Back of Beyond

I have a small Webber cooker that uses the small propane tanks. My problem is, where do you dispose of them? The local landfill wants $5 apiece to take them. I don't think I even paid $5 each for them! I use the small ones because I can't lift the 20lb tanks anymore (4 back surgeries). Would love some ideas as to what folks who use these tanks for welding do with them after they are empty. Thanks ;-)

PixelStan77 Loc: Vermont/Chicago

I would think once they are empty, you can recycle them as scrap steel?

2Dragons wrote:

I have a small Webber cooker that uses the small propane tanks. My problem is, where do you dispose of them? The local landfill wants $5 apiece to take them. I don't think I even paid $5 each for them! I use the small ones because I can't lift the 20lb tanks anymore (4 back surgeries). Would love some ideas as to what folks who use these tanks for welding do with them after they are empty. Thanks ;-)

Wenonah Loc: Winona, MN

2Dragons wrote:

I have a small Webber cooker that uses the small propane tanks. My problem is, where do you dispose of them? The local landfill wants $5 apiece to take them. I don't think I even paid $5 each for them! I use the small ones because I can't lift the 20lb tanks anymore (4 back surgeries). Would love some ideas as to what folks who use these tanks for welding do with them after they are empty. Thanks ;-)

Get an adaptor and refill them.

Longshadow Loc: Audubon, PA, United States

Aren't the people who sell them supposed to take the empties back?

2Dragons Loc: The Back of Beyond

Wenonah wrote:

Get an adaptor and refill them.

Good idea, but I have no place to store a big tank to refill the smaller ones. Condos are funny like that, and I can't handle even a 20lb tank now. (Had no idea that could be done.)
;-)

robertjerl Loc: Corona, California

Take them to a rifle range, place them down range and shoot one. Then act innocent when the bomb squad shows up. "Officer, I saw a rock downrange and shot it just for fun. It blew up!"

RGreenway Loc: Morristown, New Jersey

You can refill them at Agway or some hardware stores or gas stations that refill the larger tanks. If you want to dispose of them, perhaps you can empty them, take the valve off after you are sure they are empty, and put them in recycling at your town. I would check with the town to see if they will take them.

banjonut Loc: Southern Michigan

2Dragons wrote:

I have a small Webber cooker that uses the small propane tanks. My problem is, where do you dispose of them? The local landfill wants $5 apiece to take them. I don't think I even paid $5 each for them! I use the small ones because I can't lift the 20lb tanks anymore (4 back surgeries). Would love some ideas as to what folks who use these tanks for welding do with them after they are empty. Thanks ;-)

Put them in a paper bag and take them back to the landfill.

jerryc41 Loc: Catskill Mts of NY

PixelStan77 wrote:

I would think once they are empty, you can recycle them as scrap steel?

Generally, no. Our dump/recycling center doesn't accept them at all. If I had any, I would have to bring them to the annual hazardous waste site once a year.

I've never used them because of just that problem. I've switched from propane to charcoal, and I use newspaper with a chimney starter to get it burning.

DePratt Loc: Stantonsburg, NC

Remove the valve, fill with water and drill a hole below the water line and take to a scrap metal yard and they should take them as normal scrap metal.
That is what our local yard tells their customers to do. With two holes for air circulation there is no chance of retained gas to explode if compressed or exposed to pressure.

DePratt

2Dragons wrote:

I have a small Webber cooker that uses the small propane tanks. My problem is, where do you dispose of them? The local landfill wants $5 apiece to take them. I don't think I even paid $5 each for them! I use the small ones because I can't lift the 20lb tanks anymore (4 back surgeries). Would love some ideas as to what folks who use these tanks for welding do with them after they are empty. Thanks ;-)

pilgrim1951 Loc: New Jersey

DePratt wrote:

Remove the valve, fill with water and drill a hole below the water line and take to a scrap metal yard and they should take them as normal scrap metal.
That is what our local yard tells their customers to do. With two holes for air circulation there is no chance of retained gas to explode if compressed or exposed to pressure.

DePratt

How difficult is it to remove the valve? I know the campground I have gone to for years started refusing them a couple of years ago.

f8bengal Loc: West Nawth Carolinah

I've got about a dozen of those things, bought as my one concession to Y2K (REMEMBER?) That was when aircraft were going to fall out of the air; clocks were going to stop and your belly button was going to fall off. Still full of gas, they (not me) might be good targets at the range.

sb Loc: Florida's East Coast

DePratt wrote:

Remove the valve, fill with water and drill a hole below the water line and take to a scrap metal yard and they should take them as normal scrap metal.
That is what our local yard tells their customers to do. With two holes for air circulation there is no chance of retained gas to explode if compressed or exposed to pressure.

DePratt

:thumbup: Great solution - then you could with no remorse just put them into a recycling container for general mixed recycling.

jaymatt Loc: Alexandria, Indiana

PixelStan77 wrote:

I would think once they are empty, you can recycle them as scrap steel?

Yes, you can. I have also read of a way to refill them, but I can't remember how offhand. Google might provide an answer.

rickerb Loc: utah

banjonut wrote:

Put them in a paper bag and take them back to the landfill.

:thumbup: :thumbup: