Exploding nitrous oxide canisters no laughing matter for garbage collection

VANCOUVER — Canisters of nitrous oxide, also known as laughing gas, sold under the guise of whip cream chargers are increasingly showing up at Metro Vancouver waste facilities, and they’re causing dangerous explosions.

The regional district says it wants people to safely dispose of the canisters, which were recently flagged for recall by Health Canada because the gas is being used as a drug.

Paul Henderson, Metro Vancouver’s general manager of solid waste services, says the containers, some as large as three litres, have become a problem in the last few months, especially at Metro Vancouver’s waste-to-energy facility in Burnaby.

He said the high-pressure canisters are being tossed in with the regular garbage stream, which “creates a risk to workers.”

“We’re seeing damage to the equipment at the waste energy facility that results in some loss of productivity,” he said. “The primary concern, though, is around the health and safety risks related to those explosions.”

He said recycling depots will now accept the canisters with their valves removed, or with puncture holes that confirm the canisters are no longer under pressure.

“They shouldn’t be disposed of in the garbage,” he said, adding that these canisters are under immense pressure compared with propane canisters and other products.

He said he’s not aware of any injuries from the explosions yet, and the source and sudden prevalence of the canisters is unknown.

“It’s hard to imagine the amount of whipped cream you need to make in order to use a three litre cylinder of nitrous oxide,” he said.

Metro Vancouver invited reporters to a facility in Coquitlam Friday to raise awareness about the canisters, less than a month after Health Canada issued a warning to consumers about the recreational use of nitrous oxide.

Health Canada said nitrous oxide is commonly known as laughing gas or whippets, and it outlined several consumer products seized with the help of the Canada Border Services Agency.

Health Canada said recreational nitrous oxide products are deceptively sold under different brand names, including “Bamboozle,” “Primewhip” and “GreatWhip Max Cream Charger,” and include unpermitted flavoured gases.

Online searches show the products are widely available at vape and smoke shops, and Health Canada said they have not been reviewed for safety and are sold “in stores you would not expect to find whipped cream chargers (and) in large containers you would not expect for dispensing whipped cream.”

Henderson said facilities in Europe have also had troubles with nitrous oxide canisters, and they’re showing up in some loads on a “large scale.”

“We had one load come into one of our facilities,” he said. “We found 15 of these cylinders, distributed within the load.”

Health Canada’s recent crackdown, he said, has seen the prevalence reduced in Metro Vancouver, and he has also sent a letter to the federal body for “written confirmation that the sale of these products is not lawful.”

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Dec. 12, 2025

Darryl Greer, The Canadian Press