The below motion was raised at the July meeting of the Full Council on 28/07/2025.
Motion: Councillors Peggy O’Dwyer, William Durkan and Brendan Wyse
That the council writes to the Department of Climate, Energy and the Environment for a policy on the disposal of large nitrous oxide canisters.
Report: The matter has been discussed at the Environment Strategic Policy Committee, and it might be helpful to provide some background to the issue.
The safe disposal of potentially dangerous nitrous oxide canisters has in recent years become a major issue for the recycling and waste management industry.
The gas is sold legally for medical, industrial and commercial purposes, and is easily obtained online. Revenue has the power to seize canisters of the gas where officers believe they are intended for illicit purposes.
Kildare County Council has no facilities to store and dispose of these canisters, nor are they accepted by locally based waste collection operators for health and safety reasons.
Due to the physical nature of the canister, it is difficult to ascertain if the product is empty or full. Whilst an empty canister is widely recyclable, if gas remains in the container, it may explode if crushed – it cannot be processed through standard recycling facilities.
This issue of disposal is not unique to Kildare and is rather a national issue that requires addressing at a nationwide level.
I would therefore be pleased to support the request to formally write to the Department as outlined in the notice of motion.
Notes: Members agreed to write to the department, with an update on the reply to issue at a later date.
