Why Recycle Fire Extinguisher

As you can imagine, the contents of fire extinguishers do raise some concerns. To begin with, they are under some intense pressure (150 to 225 PSI on average). To give a comparison, that is 3-5x the pressure of the average car tire. A premature or unintended release of contents could be harmful or even fatal.

The contents themselves most often have either very high or very low PH levels making them corrosive and harmful to both organic and inorganic materials. For this reason, it is not legal in many states, including California, to dispose of them in the normal waste.

The overwhelming majority of fire extinguisher cannisters are made of either steel or aluminum making them easy to recycle. However, they must be completely empty and many metal recyclers want them cut in half to prove they are empty. It is not uncommon for there to be residual contents when depressurized even if the fire extinguisher is not dysfunctional or substandard. The process for ensuring they are empty can be tedious and time consuming.

Fire Extinguisher Recycling Process

First the pressure must be carefully released from each fire extinguisher while capturing the contents in a sealed container. Once the pressure is released, the fire extinguisher must be disassembled and placed on a vibratory device or other secondary “cleaning” system to ensure each cylinder is free of contents. Then the hose, lever, draw tube, and cylinder can be recycled separately. In the US, the powdered materials are being landfilled in sealed containers. There is an emerging technology from England that can turn the powder into usable fertilizer for agricultural use.

How Does Modern Waste  Help You?

Modern Waste  makes it simple for you to have comprehensive and compliant fire extinguisher disposal and recycling services that adhere to all applicable local, state and federal rules and guidelines.

1. We will provide the equipment you need
2. We will train you on what you need to know
3. We will come to you to pick up (or you can drop off)
4. We will record what we receive from you in our database
5. We will shred, wipe, recycle or dispose of your waste
6. We will provide certificates and reports as needed