How do i dispose of the Bunnings Trade Flame MAPP bottle

[Nintiblue]

I had a copper pipe plumbing project to work through & decided to buy at Bunnings their Trade Flame MAPP bottle gear.  These are truly handy and very useful for heating up things, brazing and soldering.  Good kit.  HOWEVER, I have encountered a major problem : no way to dispose of the MAPP "Disposable" Bottle once empty!

• All my nearby Bunnings, who sell the disposable Trade Flame MAPP bottles, have repeatedly offered no solution for their product's disposal. Note these bottles stop producing useful flame pressure once close to empty, so by empty I mean "nearly empty". Good gear, just a fact to note gas is still in them.
• All the Victorian waste processing centres refuse to take them, or over the phone said they "may" take them but will charge $29 for each bottle (A bottle that cost me under $16 to buy at Bunnings)!
• Sustainability Victoria investigated this for me and concluded its actually the responsibility of Bunnings to provide a disposable solution as its their product line to customers. As such I was advised to write directly to Bunnings Head Office (some where) to seek a solution.  Before I do that, I hope this forum can guide a safe no cost solution for me.

Hoping a Bunnings Representative can also reply.

Sincerely

Kurt Seemann (Nintiblue)

• Tradeflame MAPP Bottle from Bunnings Victoria

[Nintiblue]

Thanks @Nailbag 

Sadly the Vic Sustainability folk had no solution other than pay $29 per MAPP bottle, and contact Bunnings HQ.😣

[Nailbag]

Hmm thats pretty disappointing @Nintiblue 

[Nintiblue]

PS.  Still a NO.  The nearest Scrap metal yards to me said NO:

https://www.norstar.com.au/prohibited-materials/

[Noyade]

G'day @Nintiblue 

"Its should not be this arduous."

I totally agree with you. Some of the phone calls and visits were totally bizarre. One place I visited - three staff came over to look.

"What is it?"

"What does it do?"

"Where's it from?"

I have one more plan/experiment. I'm going to buy another bottle of MAPP gas and take it to my council recycling depot (33km round trip).

On the phone to council a very young "Ruby" put me on hold and came back with...

"We take any gas cylinder up to 9.5 kg."

I asked, "including semi-empty MAPP gas canisters?"

"We take any gas cylinder up to 9.5 kg."

"Would there be a fee?"

"We take any gas cylinder up to 9.5 kg."

😣

I'll let you know how I go.

This is the list from the private metal scrap recycling I dealt with.

[Noyade]

Here's how the mission fared @Nintiblue.

I packed a lunch and headed off with the bottle.

At the weighbridge - I felt uneasy - but the staff member couldn't have been more courteous.

"Can I drop off a full bottle of MAPP gas with no charge?"

"How many have you got?"

"Just the one I'm showing you."

She laughed and said of course and gave me directions.

I drove on 500 metres, waited five minutes beside the road and put the bottle under the passenger seat.

I did a U-turn and headed back.

At this point I planned to 'produce' the bottle should she have changed her mind and wanted to charge me.

Just paranoia.

We exchanged courtesies on the other side of the booth - the boom-gate was raised and I was free.

That's now two places for free disposal of a MAPP gas cylinder in a regional NSW town.

[Nintiblue]

So there is hope for me yet. 

I am getting the feeling it’s a Victorian thing!