How to Recycle Your Old Fuel Canisters

MSR Fuel

In order to reduce the number of fuel canisters that end up in landfills, brands like MSR and Jetboil have tried to make it easier over the years to recycle your spent canisters. Jetboil created the CrunchIt tool to save you from using can openers or ice axes to make the canisters safe but you are still at the mercy of what your local recycling center accepts. Now, MSR is offering to do the entire job for you — in Seattle.

This week, MSR announced a new fuel canister recycling program at their Seattle Repair Shop. Customers who return empty fuel canisters, made by any outdoor brand, to MSR’s Seattle Repair Shop will receive 20 percent off of an MSR fuel canister purchase.

Empty fuel canisters can be delivered in person to MSR’s Seattle Repair Shop located at 130 South Dakota Street, Seattle, WA 98134. For the sake of safety and compliance with federal shipping regulations, the company cannot accept canisters delivered by mail.

And for all of you that can’t visit MSR’s Seattle Repair Shop, you can easily recycle your own spent canisters at home. MSR wrote a handy guide on how to do this but the key steps are as follows:

  1. Make sure the canister is truly empty. My favorite way to do this is with Snow Peak’s Mini Flame Lantern. Use your near-empty canisters to light up your campsite until the flame goes out.
  2. To meet your local recycling requirements, you need to puncture the canister. This can be done with the Jetboil CrunchIt tool or with a screwdriver, traditional can opener, or even an ice axe pick.
  3. Check with you local neighborhood recycling center to confirm they accept mixed metals. Don’t throw it in your recycle bin until you confirm this otherwise your canister will end up in a landfill. If your weekly pickup does not accept mixed metals, you can generally find larger recycling centers close by that will.

That’s it.

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