Even if you’re comfortable refilling disposable propane cylinders, eventually the valves will fail, or they’ll get so rusty they have to be retired. So what do you do with them?

Coleman has launched a new recycling program for disposable 16-oz. propane cylinders.

“Green Key: Your Key To Being Green”.

Whuh-huh?

It’s a tool that “durably marks the propane cylinder as empty for steel recyclers.”

Again, whuh-huh?

Here’s Coleman’s video demonstration, and here’s my own attempt to explain how it works:

It’s a little device that you insert into the top of your empty cylinder, ensuring that the valve remains open and pressure within the cylinder is allowed to escape. This is necessary so that the cylinders can be handled, transported, and processed safely.

Which means, theoretically, that they can be recycled by any facility that handles scrap steel.

It’s about time! Here’s what I wrote back in April, before they launched this program:

“As an aside, it’s disappointing and vaguely offensive that Coleman, one of the major manufacturers of portable propane appliances, has no recycling recommendations for these disposable cylinders! This is one of them times when us tree-huggin’ northwest boaters throw up our hands and say “Whisky Tango Foxtrot?!?”"

Anyway, I’ve played with the green key, and here’s what I’ve learned:

(1) It isn’t really “permanent”. You can pry it out with a screwdriver and use it again on the same or a different cylinder. I’m using it to release the last of the pressure before I bring my cylinders home to refill them.

(2) The green key will work on any cylinder, even older ones distributed before the green key program was started. If Coleman wanted to help out those who have a garage shelf full of empty cylinders, they would offer to ship out green keys to anyone who asked for some. Such a program wouldn’t generate any revenue, but it might generate some good will.