Hills Waste Solutions and Wiltshire Council are reminding residents of the danger associated with placing unemptied aerosol cans into recycling bins following an explosion at a recycling sorting facility in Calne.

Only completely empty aerosol cans should be put in the blue-lidded recycling bin so please check before disposing them. Partially full aerosol cans could cause explosions and potentially endanger recycling staff and property. To make sure an aerosol can is fully empty, simply depress the nozzle until no more air or propellant can be heard escaping.

Henry Newbery, Recycling Manager, at Hills Waste Solutions reported that: “The CCTV footage shows a significant explosion from this incident, and fortunately no-one was injured and there was no damage caused to equipment or property.”

Cllr Nick Holder, Wiltshire Council Cabinet Member for Waste, said: “I’m thankful no one was hurt in this incident. Unfortunately it’s only one of hundreds of waste fires across the country each year.

“It serves as a stark reminder of the dangers of throwing away certain items like unspent aerosol cans and batteries, both of which have been linked to fires and explosions at waste facilities.

“Please help to keep staff safe and reduce costs from machine breakdowns by checking on our website what you can and can’t recycle or throw away in your general waste bin.”

Aerosol cans that have not been fully emptied and any type of pressurised cylinders, such as camping gas cylinders and large NOx cylinders, can be taken to a household recycling centre, please speak to staff about the suitable location for these items.