From 1 September 2023, all environmental centres in the Netherlands are prepared to take in used illegal nitrous oxide cylinders. You can also hand in nitrous oxide cylinders at our environmental centres. The cylinders are commonly found in public areas and residual waste from January this year. By exploding in collection vehicles and waste incinerators, they cause major damage and serious safety risks for residents, employees and equipment. Installations get damaged, have to be shut down and repaired.
According to industry association NVRD and Waste Management Association, the situation is untenable: "There is no solution from the state, now we are taking matters into our own hands." Officially, environmental centres are not allowed to take in illegal cylinders, because from 1 January 2023 they will fall under the Opium Act. So using and disposing of them is prohibited in our country. Therefore, the waste industry has decided to accept nitrous oxide cylinders free of charge at all waste recycling centres in the Netherlands as an emergency measure. With this emergency measure, the industry hopes that fewer cylinders will end up in public spaces and residual waste. Other pressure containers such as gas cylinders, gas cans and spray glue tanks can also explode in our collection vehicles or in the incinerator. So always bring these to the environmental street and never throw them on the street or with residual waste.