Waste and resources firm Veolia has launched a new service disposing of compressed gas cylinders, investing in a dedicated facility in the Midlands.

Gases are classified as dangerous goods, so all cylinders transported must meet regulations and codes of practice. The new Veolia service seeks to provide a national collection capability that ensures compliance with these regulations.

The facility, located at the Empire Treatment Plant in Aldridge, near Walsall, will safely remove and treat the contents of the cylinders so that statutory and environmental requirements are followed. The service will cover all types of gas cylinder arising from a range of sources including research facilities, industry, healthcare, universities and recycling centres.

The firm says that it will also be able to provide disposal of cylinders containing special gases that may have an impact on the environment and require particular handling. Technical teams will review each consignment before the contents are extracted, with the gases either processed through Veolia’s chemical treatment facility or safely destroyed.

Empty cylinders will then be sent back to the original supplier or recycled.

Commenting on the new service Kevin Hurst, Veolia’s Chief Operating Officer for Industrial Customers UK said: “As a complete recycling and recovery solution this new service represents a significant step forward for the treatment of pressurised gas cylinders. This in turn will help our customers safely deal with unwanted cylinders, and meet regulatory and environmental requirements.”