Waste firms call for total ban on larger nitrous oxide canisters
Waste firms and local councils want a total ban on larger nitrous oxide canisters, which they say cause thousands of explosions a year at waste facilities.
How it was covered
- BBC One was the only channel found covering it, concentrating on explosion risk at waste plants and calls to ban larger canisters.
- Channel 5, BBC News, BBC Two, Channel 4, GB News, ITV and Sky News: not found in tracked broadcasts.
The Full Story
A plain summary built from the channels that reported this story. Facts only one channel reported are attributed to it.
BBC News reported that waste firms and local councils are calling for a complete ban on the sale of nitrous oxide canisters to the public. BBC News reported that the industry says it is seeing an extraordinary number of explosions at waste facilities every week.
BBC News reported that nitrous oxide, known as laughing gas, became a criminal offence for recreational use in England and Wales three years ago. It said the drug remains legal for legitimate purposes such as catering and medical treatment.
BBC News reported that the canisters come in small cartridges and larger pressurised cylinders. It said that even empty cylinders keep some pressure, so they can explode when they are crushed with household waste or fed into furnaces. BBC News reported that one waste bunker holds several thousand tonnes of black bag waste at a time, making the canisters hard to spot.
BBC News reported that the waste sector and local councils want a total ban on the larger pressurised cylinders. It said one facility sees around 7,000 explosions a year across its sites, an average of two per site per day. BBC News reported that the plant produces electricity for around 50,000 homes, so stoppages also cut power generation.
BBC News reported that the cylinders can explode with the force of a hand grenade, damaging plants and putting workers at risk. It said the explosions cost the plant millions of pounds each year.
BBC News reported that millions of canisters are sold in the UK, far more than are needed for legitimate uses such as whipped cream. It added that most are used by people abusing the drug. BBC News reported that new EU rules expected from February next year would restrict sales to the general public.
BBC News reported that campaigners say millions of canisters will keep entering the waste stream until then. It also reported that seven canisters were found by the roadside about 100 metres from a waste facility, and advised anyone who finds them to contact their local recycling centre.
Key Claims
Claims reported during this story's coverage, grouped by how many channels reported each one. Select a dot to see the source excerpt.
| Claim |  |
|---|---|
| Only on one channel | |
| Recreational nitrous oxide use was made a criminal offence in England and Wales three years ago. | |
| The waste sector and local councils called for a total ban on larger pressurised nitrous oxide cylinders. | |
| Waste facilities report around 7,000 explosions per year, averaging two per site per day. | |
Channel Perspectives
What each channel focused on, with key quotes.
The single report was built around the safety and cost of nitrous oxide canisters in the waste stream. It used footage of an explosion in a refuse lorry and inside a furnace to make the case for banning larger cylinders. The tone was sympathetic to the waste industry and included no opposing voices.
- “We see around 7,000 explosions a year across our sites, and on average that's two explosions per site per day.”
- “they can explode with the same power as a hand grenade”
- “the waste sector and local councils now want a total ban on the larger pressurised cylinders.”
Broadcast Timeline
News broadcasts tracked for this story, in time order.