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Suez reports 7,000 nitrous oxide canister explosions in 2025, urging stricter hazardous waste management UK and improved EfW plant safety measures.
Explosions from waste nitrous oxide canisters have added £7m of extra costs at UK energy-from-waste plants in 2025, underlining the growing safety and operational concerns. Suez, one of the UK's largest waste management firms, reported incidents across its 10 EfW plants, noting that urgent attention was required on safer disposal and tighter controls.
In total, SUEZ reported 7,000 NOx canister explosions last year alone, damaging furnace linings and creating unplanned downtime at its plants. The company recovers energy from more than two million tonnes of waste each year, and the resulting explosions cost £2 million in repair costs, plus another £5 million in business interruption due to the facility downtime and the alternative handling of waste diverted because of it. These incidents are linked to nitrous oxide canisters entering the waste stream with gas still inside, which then ignites in the very hot EfW furnaces.
"If the canisters were completely empty and de-gassed, the risk is far lower. We could be seeing 10 times more canisters come through our sites daily, and the explosion poses a risk to staff and infrastructure that is quite serious." This phenomenon highlights the need for better labelling and education to follow the laws that have been laid out under the Misuse of Drugs Act. Adam Read, Chief Sustainability and External Affairs Officer of Suez, says:
The UK Home Office has banned the recreational sale of nitrous oxide, classifying it as a Class C drug in 2023. The rise in the number of incidents involving canisters has highlighted the difficulties in managing hazardous wastes, complying with safety regulations while conducting EfW activities, and raising awareness among citizens on safe disposal methods.
Going forward, the UK’s waste service operators are urging the need for more stringent regulations, guidance for the public, and improved safety procedures at the EfW plants aimed at eliminating explosions and operational failures. Give suitable headline and strapline and 5 word url from thecontent only
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