Bad News Bear Spray: How to Dispose of Expired Bear Spray
Old bear spray cans cannot be recycled. Spread the word to help Eco-Cycle keep bear spray OUT of single-stream recycling bins in Boulder County. This dangerous contaminant poses a safety risk to the employees sorting recyclables inside the recycling facility. Here’s what to do with this tricky material.
Right now in the Northern Hemisphere, nature is starting to come alive around us as the days grow longer and the temperatures warm, signaling winter is nearly at an end. Soon, we will start seeing hibernating creatures back in wilderness spaces again.
What we hope not to spot on the trail OR in the recycling? Cans of bear spray! This item is a highly impacting non-recyclable contaminant at the Boulder County Recycling Center in Boulder. When well-meaning recyclers attempt to dispose of bear spray canisters—even if they’re empty—in their recycling, dangerous problems arise! For this reason, we are asking folks NOT to put cans from empty, unneeded, or expired bear spray in their recycling.
Why Bear Spray Can’t Be Recycled in Boulder County
Those in the know will tell you that the recycling guidelines for Boulder County DO NOT accept bear spray cans, even when empty!
A can of bear spray is likely to go off inside the recycling sorting facility and be dispersed quickly throughout a large space filled with sorting line workers. Perhaps even more hazardous, because even empty canisters are still pressurized, they may explode when they get compressed by baling equipment.
In either scenario, the bear spray puts workers’ health at risk and requires staff to stop the sorting line to rinse their faces, hands, and eyes in a hazardous chemical washing station.
The plant must be vacated and remain immobile for enough time that the air clears sufficiently for staff to breathe safely. These delays are costly to the operating budget, and drive up the costs of recycling for recyclers and consumers alike.
Feeling confused about why empty bear spray cans are a NO when seemingly similar items are accepted for recycling, such as empty aerosol cans that contained hairspray or cleaning products?
Take it from our staff of Eco-Cycle experts who operate the Boulder County Recycling Center, where all of the recyclables in Boulder County are collected, sorted, and baled for recycling markets: Bear spray is simply too powerful to risk bringing into the facility, even in very small quantities, including what you’d find in an “empty” canister.
Bear Spray Disposal in Boulder County
If you’re looking for a bear spray disposal option near you, please take bear spray canisters, whether empty or partially full, to a hazardous materials management center.
The Boulder County Hazardous Materials Management Facility accepts bear spray canisters from all residents in Boulder County, City and County of Broomfield, and the Town of Erie at no cost. Customers who live outside of these regions may drop off bear spray canisters and up to 40 gallons of household hazardous materials for a $45 fee.
Learn more about the top twelve recycling contaminants in Boulder County at ecocycle.org/dirty-dozen.
