Cylinder Collective outlines statewide program to recycle small pressurized cylinders, set to begin Oct. 1, 2025

Kim O'Rourke, the newly hired state program coordinator for the Cylinder Collective, told RiverCog on Feb. 26, 2025, that an industry-run stewardship program created under 2022 EPR legislation and approved by the Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection will begin statewide collection of small residential pressurized cylinders on Oct. 1, 2025.

The Cylinder Collective, O'Rourke said, will manage collection logistics, pay for processing, and run outreach campaigns so municipalities and residents will not incur costs. "This program is set to begin 10/01/2025," O'Rourke said during her presentation. She added that the group already has roughly "85 to 90% of the producers who sell cylinders in Connecticut signed up." Dave Keeling, executive director with the Pressurized Cylinder Industry Association who joined O'Rourke, said the group will seek municipal partners such as transfer stations, household-hazardous-waste events and select campgrounds or retailers to host collection.

The program will cover small consumer cylinders used for camping, portable grilling, handheld torches and portable helium — roughly from 4-ounce canisters up to but not including full 20-pound grill tanks. O'Rourke said the Cylinder Collective is not covering industrial, commercial or institutional customers and is excluding certain pressurized products such as oxygen tanks, refrigerant cylinders, acetylene and fire extinguishers. She clarified that some branded exchange systems (SodaStream) will continue to use their existing return/mail systems and that the Propane Gas Association of New England (PGANE) will handle the large 20-pound grill tanks.

Presenters described pilot collection activity at Hammonasset and Rocky Neck state campgrounds and plans to expand vendor hiring for statewide collection and processing. Collection sites must comply with DEEP municipal transfer-station permit conditions, O'Rourke said, including fencing and staff oversight; the stewardship organization will supply storage containers and signage, coordinate pickups and provide municipal toolkits and public education materials. "It's no cost to residents like other EPR materials and no cost to the municipalities," O'Rourke said.

RiverCog members asked whether whipped-cream chargers and small CO2 cylinders for home seltzer machines are included. Presenters replied that consumer aerosol products and certain CO2 systems fall outside the stewardship scope or are handled by branded return systems; they said they were exploring alternatives for specific items such as whipped-cream canisters.

The Cylinder Collective plans to track volumes, submit an annual report to DEEP and undergo periodic audits. O'Rourke invited municipalities to discuss their transfer-station needs and said she would follow up with the presentation materials for each town.