Intended for use in the catering industry, nitrous oxide (commonly known as laughing gas) is increasingly being used for recreational purposes. The gas is inhaled from a balloon and stored in canisters. Until recently these tended to be single-use canisters the size of a bullet, which could pass through the ERF without incident. In recent months however, it has become clear that people are increasingly buying and disposing of much larger canisters, approximately the size of a 2-litre water bottle. It is these super-sized canisters that are causing operational challenges for the ERF. Viridor is calling for residents or commercial users of these canisters to not place them in their bins but to check the label carefully and recycle or dispose of them responsibly.

Viridor’s ‘Leave it Out’ campaign, featuring ‘Noxie’ the naughty nitrous oxide canister, aims to help educate residents in south London about the importance of disposing of these canisters in a safe and sustainable way. The campaign will be supported by the four South London Waste Partnership (SLWP) boroughs (Croydon, Kingston, Merton and Sutton) and will roll out across parks, at tram stations, newspapers and online in the coming months.

If you see them please leave them out of the bin and take them to your local recycling centre! For more information please visit www.beddingtonerf.info