How do you dispose of a propane tank?

What each state's own agency says about propane tanks: the page it was read from, the date it was read, and where that state takes it.

The federal baseline

There is no federal disposal rule for a household propane tank: federal law excludes waste from ordinary household activities — routine house and yard maintenance — from the definition of hazardous waste. EPA still counts leftover household products "that can catch fire, react, or explode under certain circumstances" as household hazardous waste, and warns that "improper disposal of these wastes can pollute the environment and pose a threat to human health." EPA's advice is to "contact your local environmental, health, or solid waste agency to learn about permanent or periodic HHW collections near you." Whether a cylinder may go in your trash or recycling cart, and where it is taken instead, is set by your state and your county.

Read from EPA.

What happens to it

1. Swapped or refilled — cylinder exchange programs let you trade a used 20-pound tank for a filled one.
2. Dropped off — a transfer station or scrap metal recycling facility takes tanks, which do not have to be completely empty first.
3. Emptied and de-valved — only certified professionals trained to handle propane tanks empty and de-valve them.
4. Punctured, then recycled — the professionals puncture the tanks prior to recycling, and small non-refillable 1-pound tanks can be recycled too.

Steps read from New Hampshire Department of Environmental Services.

All 50 states

One row per state, with the sentence its agency page states, the page itself, the date it was read, and where that state says to take it. A state whose name links has a page of its own; for the rest, this row is everything that state says.