Can you put full aerosols in recycling?

Before you throw away an aerosol can, make sure it's empty by shaking it and listening for liquid or attempting to spray it. Once you’re sure the can is empty, check the can for disposal instructions, such as taking it to a hazardous waste disposal center. If the can doesn’t contain hazardous materials and is recyclable, you can place it with your other recycling products. Alternatively, if the aerosol can is not empty, try to use or donate the remainder of the product. Otherwise, find a hazardous waste collection site, where your can will be properly and safely disposed of. To learn how to get paid for your empty aerosol cans, keep reading!

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As many of us at ILACSD know, one of the biggest barriers to getting folks to recycle is a lack of education on what is recyclable and how easy it can be! What might seem like constant changes to the items that can or cannot go into a blue bin often leave residents feeling a little confused. So today, let’s take a moment to talk about the right way to recycle a common household item… aerosol cans!

Open one of the cabinets in your kitchen, bathroom, or garage and chances are you’ll find an aerosol can. Though hairspray might be the first thing to pop into your head when you think of aerosols (I can’t be the only one picturing big 80s hair and an Aqua Net can?), the list of products that come in aerosol form is quite extensive. Here are just a few examples of products that are contained within the cylinder walls of an aerosol can:

Kitchen

Bathroom

Garage

Cooking Oil

Whipped Cream

Spray Paint

Cleaning Products

Auto Maintenance Products

Sunscreen

Insect Repellants

Deodorant

Shower/Toilet Cleaners

Aerosol containers are composed of steel and aluminum. Steel is very similar to aluminum when it comes to its sustainable recycling capabilities according to our friends at Ball Corporation. You can check out our post on can growlers where we reviewed the benefits of materials like steel and aluminum for packaging. Because of its composition, aerosol cans are begging to be recycled. So how do you recycle them?

Well, when recycling an aerosol can, you first need to answer the question: “Is it completely empty?”

If you answered yes:

Awesome! Way to be aware of your needs, use up your products completely, and create less waste. Still, it is important that ensure that aerosol cans are completely empty. A quick way to be certain that the can is empty is to listen closely. Give the can a shake or spray (listen for any remaining fluid inside and verify that the product is no longer coming out of the nozzle). Once you know the can is empty, you can toss it in your blue bin for curbside recycling! No other steps are necessary. Make sure you never puncture aerosol can as it can be dangerous. There is no need to remove the nozzle before placing it in your recycling bin.

If you answered no:

Aerosol cans that still contain fluids are considered hazardous waste. You can still recycle these cans though! First, try offering the remaining contents to a friend or neighbor who might want it. Put the item on your local “Buy Nothing” page or see if it is able to be donated (unused spray paint can be donated Habitat for Humanity if it is in good enough condition). If you cannot donate or give the remaining product, you’ll want to treat it like any other household hazardous waste. Use the search bar on WasteFreeSD.org to find the closest location for recycling your hazardous waste.

So that’s it! Empty aerosol cans go directly in your blue bin to be recycled. Be sure to only buy as much of a product as you need and use it until it is depleted. Not only will that help you waste less, but it will make your recycling as easy as can be!

Please note that the information contained in this post refers to aerosol can waste generated in a household setting, not in businesses or industry.

You probably have several aerosol cans in your house, garage or shed. They can contain products like whipped cream, spray paint, hairspray and bug spray. When they’re empty, you may not think twice about just throwing them in the trash, but you should. Why, you ask? Well, aerosol cans can contain substances, including the product itself and the gaseous propellant (the stuff that makes the product spray out of the can), which can create dangerous conditions when collected in the trash. They’re pressurized, which means they could explode under certain conditions, causing injuries and damage to our equipment. Additionally, the product contained in the can could leak out and mix with other chemicals in the load, causing dangerous chemical reactions.

And while there are no federal regulations that prevent aerosol can waste generated in residential settings from being disposed of in the trash or in a landfill, there are a few things to do to help ensure you are doing so safely:

• Make sure cans are completely empty before throwing them away. You may be able to tell if there’s still product in the can by shaking it and listening for a sloshing noise. Empty the can by spraying it until product stops coming out and the can stops making a hissing noise. You shouldn’t attempt to puncture or disable the can or the nozzle as this could be dangerous as well.
• If you can’t empty the can for any reason or if you’re not sure it’s empty, rather than putting it in the trash, take it to a special collection for hazardous chemicals.
• If the can contained a flammable liquid or one that is normally considered hazardous waste, consider taking it to a special collection for hazardous chemicals, even if you think the can is empty. (Legally, household waste is excluded from the definition of hazardous waste, so there are no regulations requiring you to do this.)

Now if you don’t want to throw your cans in the trash, there are other options. These options consist of putting into practice the three Rs—reduce, reuse and recycle. Here’s how:

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