SerpApi.Org
One man has taken it upon himself to rid his area of discarded nitrous oxide canisters.
Retired teacher Tim Chapman says he’s collected thousands of the unsightly cans left lying around his neighbourhood.
Since he started picking up the empty tins 18 months ago, Tim says he has been fighting a losing one-man battle against the obnoxious tide of litter.
He has now collected an astonishing 3,500 of them, which is equivalent to more than five tonnes, as each one weighs one and a half kilograms when empty.
‘I don’t want to carry on doing it, but I guess I’ll have to,’ says Tim, from Lynn, Norfolk.
‘The problem has reached epidemic proportions here in Fenland. On Friday mornings, for example, Wisbech Park is often littered with the canisters.
‘They are left under public benches along with vapes, beer cans and plastic sachet bags. It has become an eyesore. Who would want to visit a town that looks such a mess?’
Earlier this year, Tim shared his efforts to keep Fenland and West Norfolk clear of the ‘dangerous’Class C drug after collecting almost 300 canisters in just three months.
He has continued to scout out and dispose of the litter left by its users, but believes something drastic needs to change.
As an avid cyclist, Tim started the clear-up mission after feeling ‘fed up’ of seeing the canisters in lay-bys, T-junctions, and other pull-offs around the countryside.
It is legal to purchase nitrous oxide as it is often used in baking, but following an influx of illegal use during the Covid-19 pandemic, it was banned for recreational purposes in 2023, and was enforced as a Class C drug under the Misuse of Drugs Act 1971.
Anyone caught with it for unlawful use faces a caution, community service or an unlimited fine, while repeat offenders could find themselves behind bars.
There are harsher penalties for those involved in the production or supply of the drug for unlawful purposes, with prison terms of up to 14 years.
’18 months ago, there was the odd one or two canisters, now there are often several boxes dumped on the wayside – the problem has got worse,’ says Tim.
‘The most dangerous canisters, though, are the ones that are used while the drug user is driving. Across the country, this has led to several fatalities and many injuries, including to innocent bystanders.’
Users of nitrous oxide will often extract the gas to experience a very short high. It is understood the gas enters and leaves the bloodstream quickly, and therefore, makes it difficult for the police to catch those who are using it for unlawful purposes.
The greenhouse gas is also said to be 300 times worse than carbon dioxide, another contributing factor affecting the environment, which Tim says is ‘appalling’.
‘There are potential solutions to this, a possible licensing scheme, so people can only buy it if they are licensed to do so,’ he says.
‘Alternatively, install a large deposit. The canisters sell for about £20 per canister. If you put a £5-£10 deposit on each one, that might limit the amount bought.’
Tim is encouraging other people in the area to help him in his one-man war against the canisters. But he has advised helpers to leave them at the side of a public council bin, not inside.
He said: ‘Many people I have talked to about the problem are unaware of what the nitrous oxide canisters are. Some think they are drinks containers and a few have dutifully picked them up and put them into public bins. This, though, is also very dangerous.
‘Once in the waste stream, they are difficult to extract, and a lot have exploded inside waste incinerators, causing millions of pounds worth of damage.’
