How can I reuse or recycle … aerosols?

Aerosol canI suspect this is going to be more of recycle one than a reuse one – but if I’m wrong, suggestions on both are most welcome.

Since we’re not big consumers of aerosol-driven personal hygiene/hair products, we don’t have that many of them – the ones we do have are from specific cleaning products (namely, at this time of the year, household flea sprays – two of the cats have quite bad flea reactions so we have to go a bit OTT on the extermination front to stop them from getting all bitten to shreds, even after they’ve been treated themselves).

So what can we do with the aerosol cans ones we’re done? Can they be recycled?

(Photo by cinezi)

Related Categories

bathroom, hobbies, household, items

Search for other related items



10 Responses to “How can I reuse or recycle … aerosols?”


  1. Rosie says:

    Have you tried lemongrass essential oil between the shoulder blades of your cats for fleas?
    Works on dogs too.
    Rosie:)

  2. This is probably dangerous and stupid, but
    you can smash the can if you want. Note that if it is full or still has quite a bit of liquid in it, it can explode and injure you, which is why I call it stupid.

    • Morag says:

      And also dangerous, which is why it specifically says on all aerosol cans that they should not be pierced in any way, even when empty.

      Why on earth make a suggestion that you have clearly not tried and intuitively realise may be dangerous??

  3. carrie says:

    At our local recycling centre in Wolverhampton you can put them in with the steel and aluminium cans, as long as they’re used up.

    • Heather Cole says:

      Yes you can drop off your aerosol cans at your local recycling center or drop off point…if they accept it. Not all do. Best to call first or they will most likely just throw it away & that kind of defeates the purpose. By the way, PLEASE do not ever “smash” your cans.

  4. Pat says:

    Back when i was a kid, it was my job to separate and burn the trash in a burning barrel. I hated it, the smoke was really stinky and it took time. I had to put the unburnables in a separate container to be hauled to the city dump every few months. One day I picked up an empty hair spray can and read on it “do not incenerate”…I was in fourth grade and didn’t know what that meant so I went inside and asked….my aunt told me that it meant “don’t burn it” and I asked why and she said it would explode. So as I separated the trash I kept the deoderant and hair spray cans separate, and after everything was separated, I would throw the cans one by one into the fire. After that I looked forward to burning the trash. Between my sister and cousins big hair in the 60’s there were about 4 spray cans per week,lol.

  5. Renee says:

    Thanks for the greenhouse gases, sir!

  6. Dan says:

    Where do you think those gasses would go if he didnt burn them?……..they wouldnt go anywhere they would still be released in to the enviroment.

  7. Amanda says:

    Thanks for the info. Just empty them and recycle works for me.



Leave a Reply to Emanla Eraton

Your name
Your email (it will not be published. If you want people to contact you, leave your email address in the message too.)
Your website (if you've got one)