Rotterdam cleaners pick up 800 laughing gas cylinders per week

Street cleaning workers in Rotterdam find around 800 used nitrous oxide canisters on the streets every week, the municipality reports. Since nitrous oxide was criminalized, the empty canisters have become a problem, as they can no longer be subject to a deposit system.

The gas is popular as a drug, but using it as a drug has been illegal since 2023. Possessing, producing, or transporting the gas canisters is also illegal. A group of mainly 18-25 year 25-year-olds still use the drug. The majority of the found canisters likely come from the sale of small amounts of nitrous oxide to users.

The municipality now knows the best way to dispose of this waste. “We have the entire process of collection and processing well organized, with a turnaround time of about five working days,” said area coordinator Jiyan Canpolat. “We work together with a contractor who safely handles the canisters.”

Rotterdam has three special “nitrous oxide canister cleanup trucks” available, which are needed to clear the hundreds of gas canisters found each week. The canisters are dangerous because they can explode.

Rotterdam advises people who find them to leave them where they are and not to dispose of them with regular household waste. Last year alone, cleaning up the canisters in Rotterdam cost 1.3 million euros.

Nitrous oxide is normally used as an anesthetic in healthcare and as a gas cartridge in devices like whipped cream dispensers. As a drug, it produces effects similar to alcohol. Side effects include confusion, dizziness, and nausea. Sometimes users may lose consciousness. Driving or operating machinery after taking nitrous oxide is dangerous because reaction times are slowed.