The United Kingdom’s Energy-from-Waste (EfW) sector is facing a serious technological and safety challenge: nitrous oxide canisters—recreational “laughing gas” bottles—illegally thrown into household waste are literally exploding like bombs inside incinerators. According to dldd.news, the problem is causing multimillion-pound damage to equipment and creating direct life‑threatening risks to facility workers, while both the size and number of these canisters have risen sharply recently.
Government action in the UK against recreational use of laughing gas has had an unintended side effect in the waste-management sector. Because possession of the gas became illegal, users—fearing detection—often hide empty or partially filled steel canisters in household rubbish. Once these pressurized containers reach incinerators operating at more than 850 °C, they can detonate with great force, creating multiple hazards including difficulties in safely handling the canisters.
From tiny capsules to industrial‑scale “bombs”
Waste managers report that the nature of the problem has fundamentally changed in recent years. Previously, mostly small, roughly 8‑gram silver cream‑charger cartridges caused minor pops that rarely damaged the robust incineration equipment.
The canisters also affect transport safety because they can turn up anywhere.
However, much larger formats have appeared on the market:
- Size shift: 580‑gram, 640‑gram and even 2‑kilogram or larger industrial steel cylinders are now common.
- Explosion force: The explosion of a 2‑kilogram steel cylinder inside a closed incinerator can generate a shock wave capable of damaging the furnace’s inner walls, refractory lining and grate systems.
- Quantities: Some plants report that the number of confiscated or discovered canisters has increased by several hundred percent over the past two years, highlighting the systemic nature of the problem.
The presence of laughing-gas canisters presents new operational and safety challenges for waste operators.
Technological damage and economic consequences
EfW plants are designed to convert non-recyclable waste to energy and to run continuously; unplanned shutdowns cause major losses.
Damage caused by nitrous oxide cylinders appears at several levels:
- Structural damage: Explosions damage furnace refractory bricks and mechanical grates that move waste.
- Maintenance costs: After a major explosion, plants must be taken offline, wait for the furnace to cool, and carry out repairs. This process can take days.
- Lost revenue: During downtime the plant cannot accept waste (for which it charges) nor generate electricity for the grid. A single incident can cost tens of thousands, and cumulatively millions, of pounds.
- Safety risks to workers: People in the line of fire
While material damage is significant, the waste‑management industry’s greatest concern is worker safety. Explosions do not only occur inside furnaces:
- During collection: Refuse trucks’ compaction mechanisms can crush cylinders, causing outdoor detonations or gas leaks.
- At sorting facilities: Canisters can explode near workers performing manual sorting beside conveyor belts if subjected to mechanical force.
- Psychological impact: The cannon‑like bangs in furnaces keep operators on edge, never knowing when a larger detonation might occur.
Legal framework and limits to prevention
Establishing legal and operational frameworks is crucial to handling laughing‑gas canisters safely so waste processes can run smoothly.
The worsening of the problem coincided with the UK government classifying nitrous oxide as a Class C drug. While this tightening aimed to curb use, the waste industry says it has pushed the canisters into the “invisible” household waste stream.
Prevention is extremely difficult because:
- The canisters hide deep in opaque black bin bags.
- Screening every item in the hundreds of tonnes of daily waste entering a plant is neither technologically nor financially feasible.
- Local authorities and waste operators run education campaigns to encourage people to return canisters separately (as hazardous waste), but fear of prosecution often outweighs environmental awareness.
The sector is now urging manufacturers and retailers to share responsibility—for example via deposit schemes or easier return options—so these pressurised “bombs” do not wreck public service infrastructure.
Sources and references:
Original article: Exploding laughing gas hits UK energy-from-waste plants
UK government guidance on the nitrous oxide ban: Nitrous oxide ban: guidance
