How to Dispose of an Oxygen Tank (Medical or Welding)

How to dispose of an oxygen tank starts with finding out who owns it. Most home medical oxygen cylinders and many welding oxygen tanks are rented or exchanged, so they belong to a supplier and should go back to that company. Cylinders you own outright are high-pressure containers, and even an empty one should be handled carefully. They can usually go to a gas supplier, a household hazardous waste program, or a scrap yard that accepts cylinders, depending on local rules.

Medical oxygen cylinders

Home oxygen is usually provided by a medical equipment company along with a concentrator or a delivery schedule. If a patient no longer needs it, or after a death:

1. Call the supplier listed on the tank or the paperwork and ask for a pickup. Most will collect cylinders, regulators, and concentrators they own.
2. Do not throw cylinders away or put them out with bulky items.
3. Store tanks upright and secured, away from heat, flames, and smoking, until pickup.

Concentrators are electrical devices, not pressurized tanks. If the household owns one, it is electronic waste, though many suppliers or medical equipment loan closets will take working ones.

Welding and industrial oxygen

Welding gas cylinders are usually leased or part of an exchange program at a welding supply store. Return them to the supplier where they were filled or leased. If you own a cylinder and no longer need it, many gas suppliers will buy it, trade it, or accept it, especially if it is within its test date.

Small owned cylinders

Some portable oxygen kits for first aid, aviation, or other uses are owned by the user. For these:

• Ask the seller or manufacturer whether they take back cylinders.
• Contact your household hazardous waste program, which may accept small pressurized cylinders.
• Scrap yards sometimes accept empty cylinders only if the valve has been removed or the cylinder is certified empty. Do not remove valves yourself; ask the yard or a gas supplier to handle that.

Safety while you store it

Oxygen itself does not burn, but it makes other materials burn much faster and hotter. Keep cylinders away from open flames, candles, gas stoves, cigarettes, and grease or oil, which can ignite in high-oxygen environments. Store tanks upright in a stand or cart, or lying down securely so they cannot roll.

What not to do

• Do not put any oxygen cylinder, full or empty, in household trash or recycling.
• Do not try to vent, cut, or puncture a cylinder.
• Do not remove the valve.
• Do not leave cylinders in a hot car.

How to dispose of an oxygen tank FAQ

Can I throw away an empty oxygen tank?

No. Pressurized cylinders do not belong in trash or recycling. Return them to the supplier or ask a hazardous waste program.

Who picks up home medical oxygen tanks?

The medical equipment company that supplied them. Call the number on the tank or your paperwork.

Where do I return a welding oxygen cylinder?

To the welding gas supplier where it was leased or exchanged. Many also accept owned cylinders.

Can a scrap yard take an oxygen tank?

Some accept cylinders only if the valve is removed or the tank is certified empty. Ask first, and do not remove the valve yourself.

How should I store oxygen tanks until pickup?

Upright and secured, away from flames, heat, smoking, grease, and oil.

The bottom line

How to dispose of an oxygen tank comes down to ownership. Return rented medical or welding cylinders to the supplier, which usually picks them up or accepts them at the counter. For cylinders you own, ask a gas supplier, the manufacturer, or your household hazardous waste program, and keep them secured and away from heat and flame until they are gone.