The Netherlands Trade Union Confederation (FNV) is urging Dutch law makers to reintroduce a deposit on nitrous oxide cylinders, citing concerns for the safety of waste management workers. The canisters were sold legally with a deposit up until the start of 2023, when recreational use of nitrous oxide (NOS) was brought under the scope of the Netherland's Opium Law, and unauthorized possession of the gas became a criminal offense. Without a deposit, the tanks are now regularly littered or discarded in the residual waste stream. If processed in waste to energy (wte) plants, they can explode even if empty.
The Dutch Association for Refuse and Cleansing Management (NVRD) and the Dutch Waste Management Association (DWMA) also sought to draw attention of government to the growing problem this past summer.
The full article, including coverage of measures taken by Amsterdam's wte plant operation AEB, is available to subscribers. . ....
