Compressed Gas Vessel Recovery, Processing and Recycling Program

2012 NACo Achievement Award Winner

Miami-Dade County, Fla., FL

About the Program

Category: County Resiliency (Best in Category)

Year: 2012

In Miami-Dade County, shipping ports are a big priority, leading to many programs such as teh Compressed Gas Vessel Recovery initiative. The program consists of the collection, processing and management of compressed gas vessels that are disposed of by patrons at Miami-Dade County’s disposal facilities, including the County’s waste to energy facility, County-owned landfills, trash and recycling centers, and the home chemical collection centers. The compressed gas vessels are segregated and processed depending on the nature of their gas content. Propane containers are collected by a vendor which takes the gas and recycles the metal. Refrigerant gases are collected with specialized equipment by trained County staff and once the canister is empty, the foil seal is punctured inside a safety cage specifically designed and built in-house for this purpose. Helium canisters are also punctured. Once deemed free of pressure, all canisters are collected for scrap metals recyclers to haul away.

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