As lifestyles change, the use of pressurized containers such as portable gas canisters for cassette stoves, spray paint cans, hair sprays, and sunscreen sprays has gradually increased. Many of these containers contain flammable gases or chemical substances. If they are not properly handled and are disposed of with regular garbage, they may generate sparks when compressed inside garbage trucks during collection, potentially causing explosions and posing serious risks to frontline sanitation team members and waste collection equipment. The Environmental Protection Bureau, Nantou County Government emphasized that properly sorting and recycling pressurized containers is an important part of promoting resource circulation and advancing the net-zero transition. It is also a key measure for ensuring collection safety and enhancing overall environmental resilience.
To help residents properly handle pressurized containers, the Bureau urges the public to follow the “Empty, Package, Label, and Recycle” four-step process:
1. “Empty”: Ensure that all gas or contents inside the container have been completely used and discharged. Do not puncture or damage the container yourself, as this may cause danger.
2. “Package”: Properly package emptied pressurized containers separately and keep them apart from regular garbage.
3. “Label”: Clearly mark the package with warnings such as “Contains pressurized containers” to alert collection personnel.
4. “Recycle”: During garbage collection, proactively inform sanitation team members and hand the containers over to recycling trucks. Do not place them in regular garbage.
Director-general Yi-shu Li of the Bureau stated that protecting Nantou’s environment requires the participation of every resident. Properly handling pressurized containers is not only an environmental responsibility but also the most direct way to protect the safety of sanitation team members.
The Bureau also reminded residents that when releasing the contents of pressurized containers, the process should be carried out outdoors in a well-ventilated area and away from fire sources and high temperatures to prevent accidents. Residents are urged not to take chances by placing pressurized containers that have not been fully emptied directly into garbage trucks, as a momentary oversight could lead to irreversible accidents.