The darkish inexperienced colour of many propane tanks may counsel they’re environmentally pleasant — however they’re truly a pressure on park assets.
Yearly, hundreds of thousands of propane tanks are deserted at campsites or tossed in a landfill as a result of correct disposal is each pricey and harmful. Nevertheless it’s now simpler than ever for a lot of campers and hikers to go for refillable propane tanks. That’s as a result of California-based Little Kamper will get a lift from REI Co-op this yr.
The nationwide co-op started providing the refillable tanks from Little Kamper in a couple of California shops after the state handed a regulation banning single-use propane canisters. Although the ban doesn’t go into impact till 2028, REI spent the final year-and-a-half including Little Kamper’s refillable propane canisters to a handful of California shops within the Bay Space. By late March, the co-op plans to increase this system to 50 places in California and Colorado.
Furthermore, Little Kamper is changing into more and more accessible at nationwide parks all through the nation. The model is now accessible at numerous retailers positioned inside 10 nationwide parks, together with Yellowstone, Yosemite, Massive Bend, and Grand Canyon.
One other 5 nationwide parks, a number of of them in Utah, will probably begin carrying the cans this yr. It’s heartening to see different firms assist Little Kamper’s mission to cut back waste, Josh Simpson, the model’s vp of selling, instructed GearJunkie.
A Gradual Change From Disposable Tanks
“The problem is going to exist for a while. But as a large company with a substantial role to play in the marketplace, REI is stepping forward in a way that other companies have not yet,” he stated. “We’ve talked to many other sporting goods companies, and truthfully, I don’t think they use sustainability in calculations about how to choose products.”
“We still see on an ongoing basis what that waste stream looks like, and it’s a powerful motivating force for us,” Simpson stated. “Our growth plans are truthfully about working with companies that understand what we’re doing and why we’re doing it.”
Yosemite Nationwide Park officers should get rid of 24,000 propane cans left at campsites yearly; (screenshot/Yosemite Conservancy)
Little Kamper’s Reusable Propane Tanks
So how are you going to skip the single-use propane canisters — which REI may also proceed to promote — and go for the sustainable answer from Little Kamper to gas your camp range? When you’ve discovered the closest vendor on the Little Kamper web site, you should buy one of many model’s refillable canisters for about $22. As soon as empty, you’ll be able to return and alternate it for a full tank for $10 — similar to refilling your grill’s gasoline at a grocery retailer.
REI prospects have been requesting this system for a while, Nicole Ryan, the corporate’s camp merchandising purchaser, instructed GearJunkie this week.
“Millions of discarded single-use propane canisters end up in landfills every year,” Ryan stated. “If REI can reduce that number in even a small way, it’s worth our time and investment.”
One other nice choice for customers who wish to scale back waste and lower your expenses is to make use of a refillable 3-pound or 5-pound tank. Obtainable at REI and even House Depot, tanks like Ignik’s Fuel Growlers price between $50 and $80 and could be crammed at any propane station for just some bucks.
They’re an excellent answer for automotive tenting and run for months while not having a refill. And so they’ll pay for themselves in just some journeys as refills are less expensive than shopping for disposable tanks.
REI Refillable Propane Tanks vs. Disposable Tanks
Many propane tanks might look refillable — corresponding to these offered by manufacturers like Coleman and Bernzomatic — however they’re not. Of the roughly 40 million single-use canisters offered within the U.S. yearly, many find yourself in landfills. And since most of the cans nonetheless have gasoline in them, they’ll explode or ignite a fireplace when compressed by rubbish vans or compactors.
Customers have been critically injured and killed because of refilling propane tanks, based on the nonprofit California Product Stewardship Council. In California alone, greater than 4 million single-use propane tanks are offered every year, however only one million are recycled by way of the Family Hazardous Waste packages supplied by native governments, the group stated.
Tough Disposal
Correct disposal is just not solely harmful, however it’s additionally costly. In response to Little Kamper, which makes the refillable canisters now accessible at some REI shops, “the collection, transportation, hazardous waste processing, and recycling of a discarded single-use propane cylinder can cost as much as three times the retail cost of the cylinder.”
Primarily based in Manteca, Calif., the Little Kamper model partnered with the Yosemite Zero Landfill initiative in 2021. That helped park officers acquire and get rid of 24,000 cylinders taken from the nationwide park’s campground every year. The model’s dedication to client security and sustainability is why REI Co-op determined to work them, Ryan stated.
However realizing the size of the issue additionally implies that Little Kamper understands it can take time to deal with it, stated Simpson. Whereas he’s optimistic about Little Kamper’s future, it is going to be a “long hike” to shake off the dominance of single-use merchandise.
“We still see on an ongoing basis what that waste stream looks like, and it’s a powerful motivating force for us,” Simpson stated. “Our growth plans are truthfully about working with companies that understand what we’re doing and why we’re doing it.”
