Can You Recycle Propane Tanks?
If you have had some time going around, you will have discovered one thing. And that is that one of the most common things in your locality is a propane tank. For many obvious reasons, people use propane tanks a lot. For instance, you would often find people use propane tanks for home heating, pool heater, and dryers. There are many other uses, but those are not our concern in this post.
For this post, we want to examine more crucial questions. Such questions include whether you can recycle propane tanks. If you can recycle them, we would evaluate how to go about recycling them.
As an addition, we will also touch on whether you can sell propane tanks for cash. After this, we will close with how to dispose of old propane tanks.
As you can see, there are many things for you to learn in this single post. This means you cannot afford to miss this. So, if you are ready, let’s get right into it.
Are Propane Tanks Recyclable?
If you have ever come across a propane tank before, the first thing you would notice is its unique shape. Going further, you would notice that the propane tanks have been made with aluminum and steel materials.
Even if you are not a recycling gig, you would have read or heard that aluminum and steel are great recycling materials. Armed with this information, it is only expected that you conclude that all materials made with aluminum or steel would be recyclable.
If this is your thought, it is right somehow, but there are exceptions to it. And one of those exceptions is propane tanks.
True, propane tanks are made of aluminum and steel materials. This, however, does not make them recyclable. How’s this possible? Let’s get to it.
The reason you cannot recycle the propane tanks despite the materials used in making them is simple. It is for the tanks. You would recall that your propane tanks contain propane, content like natural gas used to fuel the fire.
In most cases, when you think this propane has been exhausted, there is still some content in there. It is not always advisable for you to release the extra propane into the environment because it is highly inflammable.
Due to this, many recycling stations find it difficult to recycle propane gas. The propane gas is not like your regular recyclable steel or copper that you can toss in the recycling bin.
However, though it may be difficult, you can recycle the propane tanks. The way to go about this is something not exactly known by everybody. Recycling companies particularly try to sensitize people about what to do to make recycling propane tanks possible.
As you would have guessed, we have done our homework and gathered enough information to help you out. After examining the content, we have to recycle your propane tanks, we believe that you will be better informed.
So, if you are ready to know how to recycle propane tanks, let’s get right to it.
How To Recycle Propane Tank?
Propane tanks have copper or steel materials in them. These materials could be as high as ninety percent.
Due to this state of things, it is easier to recycle your propane tank. The best way to do this is not to attempt recycling it on your own.
Once we are clear on this, then you can proceed to other things.
Due to the difficulty in recycling your propane tanks, you can decide to refill them. The deal behind refilling it is so you would be able to use it for more time. However, you have to be careful. There are some basic things you need to check about your propane tanks.
If your propane tank is getting rust, you have to confirm its safety. This is because they contain propane, which is highly inflammable. And you don’t want to risk having a sorry situation where you.
Can You Sell Propane Tanks For Cash?
Since time immemorial, people have been selling the things they have to get more money for themselves. For many people, selling used things has been a minor source of income. This has gone a long way to ease the burden of some financial expenses. If you have the things you want to sell, you can do so with many worries.
But then, the big question is can you sell your propane tanks for cash?
The answer is yes. You can always sell your propane tanks and get some cash.
Nonetheless, you have to ensure that your propane tanks are in the right condition. You can repaint them so they can look new again. This way, you would be able to get great monetary value for your propane tanks.
How To Dispose of Old Propane Tanks?
Disposing of things is not new among all of us. At one point in time, we would have disposed of something that was once useful. However, the difference is that the frequency we dispose of if some items are quite different from the ways we dispose of in others.
Though you may dispose of your cookie cartons often, the same doesn’t apply to propane tanks. Propane tanks have been made with strong materials that would last you for a long time. So, the situation many of us have is that we don’t often dispose of if propane tanks. There are even some that have not disposed of a propane tank before.
Whatever category you fall in, this post is for you. But, before we get to it, what are the things that should have happened to your propane tanks before disposing of them?
The answer to the above questions will depend on the methods you are adopting in disposing of your propane tanks. If you want to dispose of it for others to use, you must keep it in the right conditions. If you are disposing of it by other means, you should still be careful about the safety conditions. In all situations, always ensure that your propane tanks are safe enough. This is to ensure that there are no hazards caused to anyone in the process of disposing of.
So, back to the real question. How do you dispose of propane?
1. Contact A Propane Company/Supplier:
For proper disposing of your propane tanks, you still have to follow the safety protocols. If you are sure that recycling the propane tanks is no longer an option and that it is already too old or damaged to be serviced for use, then you are free to dispose of it in this condition, to a propane company.
However, you have to ensure that the propane company you are contacting is a licensed one. This is to help ensure that all safety protocols are followed and that there is no hazard caused to anyone, no matter how minimal. Aside from this, a propane company licensed will have all the relevant skills and tools to deploy in attending to your propane tanks.
However, contacting a propane company that has been licensed should only be used when you have propane tanks that are large or in numbers. Aside from this, it might result in wasting money to try to contract a propane company’s service for just one propane tank.
What you will have to do in this situation is to contact your local propane supplier. This should save you money. Contacting your local propane supplier also offer you the benefits of getting the right skill and tools. Always remember that safety is the first box top check when it comes to propane gas.
2. Contact The Hazardous Waste Managers
As we have emphasized, the propane tanks, because of the content, can be very dangerous. This implies that those that would handle it must be experts at safely handling hazardous items.
This is why you should contact your hazardous waste managers. This way, they would help you handle the waste and dispose of the propane tanks.
You can be sure of maximum safety this way.
3. Give Them Out
You can give your propane tanks out for those who need them. The fact that you don’t need the tanks again doesn’t mean others don’t. All you have to do is get the appropriate person who does. The person could be your neighbor. They could be your colleagues at work or even a family member.
However, you have to ensure that the propane tanks are still in their proper conditions. The reason for this is simple and straightforward. You are giving out your propane tanks so that your loved ones can make use of them. You are not giving them out just so you can dispose of them. This means if it is in bad condition, your loved ones would not be able to use them. Hence, as much as possible, you should keep them in great condition.
One way you can do this is by repainting it. All you have to do is give it out to the local propane supplier for a repainting job. If your local propane supplier doesn’t repaint, he should know who does or the right paint to use for repainting.
In a situation that you are out of options, you can try out the propane companies. They will surely be ready to help you repaint your propane tanks.
After repainting, you can then give the propane tanks to your loved ones. This way, they would appreciate it more.
4. Donate Them
Yes, donating things is one of the humanitarian acts you committed to this year. But then, you have not been able to meet up the tasks for one reason or another. Well, you don’t have to hate yourself for it. This is the right time to make up for all your lapses.
You can donate your propane tanks to charity homes. It is almost certain that they would love to have it. There are many things they can put it to. They can even sell it to raise money for the charity home.
Nonetheless, the obligation you have when giving out your propane tanks to your loved ones is what you have when giving them out to charity. The fact that the charity home does not know you personally does not mean you shouldn’t care about presenting the right thing to them.
In this light, you would have to repaint it before donating the propane tanks. In situations that it is safe to transport, you may even decide to refill the tanks. Remember, you are giving this out to charity homes. You should do everything possible to ease the burden of extra expenses off them.
Conclusion
Propane tanks have come to prove useful to us in America. They had benefitted us in many ways when they were still useful. Now that they are worn out let’s be sure to help them by disposing of them properly and recycling them where it matters.
Sources
https://www.budgetpropaneontario.com/blog/how-to-properly-dispose-of-an-expired-or-damaged-propane-cylinder
https://propane.com/about-propane/propane-tank-disposal-and-recycling/
