11 Nov. 2026  ## Veolia's New Nitrous Oxide Treatment Plant in Falkirk, Scotland Veolia is proud to introduce our new nitrous oxide treatment plant in Falkirk, designed to process nitrous oxide canisters in a compliant and sustainable manner. Reading time: 5 min [ Hazardous Waste ](/blog?activity%5B%5D=106&sort_by=created&sort_order=DESC#views-exposed-form-blog-listing-block-listing-node-blog) [ Construction ](/blog?customer_type%5B%5D=311&sort_by=created&sort_order=DESC#views-exposed-form-blog-listing-block-listing-node-blog) [ Healthcare ](/blog?customer_type%5B%5D=301&sort_by=created&sort_order=DESC#views-exposed-form-blog-listing-block-listing-node-blog) [ Public sector ](/blog?customer_type%5B%5D=331&sort_by=created&sort_order=DESC#views-exposed-form-blog-listing-block-listing-node-blog) ## Key takeaways - Veolia has opened Scotland’s first nitrous oxide canister treatment facility at its Falkirk site, following the success of its Empire Works unit in the West Midlands. - The facility safely depressurises and treats high-risk canisters, using a catalytic process to convert nitrous oxide into harmless nitrogen and oxygen. - Specialist disposal helps prevent explosions, fires and uncontrolled releases of nitrous oxide, a greenhouse gas with nearly 300 times the global warming impact of carbon dioxide. - The process also enables the metal canisters to be recovered and recycled, supporting regulatory compliance and reducing waste. - Veolia offers secure collection, treatment and digital compliance documentation for councils, recycling centres, police and Border Force, skip providers, scrap firms and other organisations. ## Why do you need to safely dispose of NOx Canisters? Did you know gas canisters can cause explosions when they’re crushed, even if they’re empty? Even though Nitrous Oxide can’t burn as a fuel, it can act as an oxidiser, meaning that when canisters explode, fires burn hotter, faster and more intensely. Additionally, incorrect disposal of NOx canisters releases nitrous oxide gas into the atmosphere, which has nearly 300 times the global warming power of carbon dioxide. To prevent all of this from happening, you need a specialist disposal method that guarantees compliance with environmental regulations.  ## Veolia’s New NOx Treatment Plant After the success of our NOx treatment unit at our Empire Works Facility in the West Midlands, the UK’s first treatment facility for nitrous oxide canisters, Veolia has expanded its operations with a new NOx treatment plant in Falkirk, Scotland. Our purpose-built facility has been engineered to safely treat high-risk cylinders. Using a fully certified disposal process, we help customers meet environmental obligations while maximising material recovery and reducing waste. ## How Veolia treats and disposes of NOx canisters: ### Step 1: Secure Collection Our specialist hazardous waste fleet ensures the safe listing, packaging and transportation of NOx cylinders from your site ### Step 2: Safe Depressurisation Our Falkirk facility uses specially designed equipment to safely depressurise cylinders ### Step 3: Treatment Our catalytic process breaks down the harmful NOx into harmless nitrogen and oxygen ### Step 4: Material Recovery The metal cylinders are then safe to be recycled into new raw materials ## Organisations that can benefit from NOx canister disposal  #### Councils and Household Waste Recycling Centres  #### Border Force Officials and Police Forces  #### Skip Providers and Scrap Metal Firms #### ### Why choose Veolia? As the first UK hazardous waste management provider to treat nitrous oxide canisters, we're setting new standards in environmental responsibility. Our innovative process converts nitrous oxide gas into harmless components for safe atmospheric release, preventing this powerful greenhouse gas from entering the environment through uncontrolled venting. Partnering with Veolia will allow you to have a single point of contact for all waste and recycling requirements, meaning you no longer have to juggle multiple providers. Our scheduled collections ensure a rapid service that can be tailored to your needs, and digital compliance documentation gives you the peace of mind that your waste has been disposed of safely and securely in line with regulations. **Interested in our services?** [Contact Us](https://www.veolia.co.uk/contact-veolia) ### Related articles [  ](https://countryuk.sitefactory.veolia.com/press-releases/veolia-starts-uks-first-safe-treatment-nitrous-oxide-canisters)[Veolia starts UK’s first safe treatment for nitrous oxide canisters](https://countryuk.sitefactory.veolia.com/press-releases/veolia-starts-uks-first-safe-treatment-nitrous-oxide-canisters) ### [Veolia starts UK’s first safe treatment for nitrous oxide canisters](https://countryuk.sitefactory.veolia.com/press-releases/veolia-starts-uks-first-safe-treatment-nitrous-oxide-canisters) [  ](https://countryuk.sitefactory.veolia.com/insights/insights/veolia-at-forefront-tackling-nitrous-oxide-disposal)[Veolia at the forefront of tackling nitrous oxide disposal with police forces across England and Wales](https://countryuk.sitefactory.veolia.com/insights/insights/veolia-at-forefront-tackling-nitrous-oxide-disposal) ### [Veolia at the forefront of tackling nitrous oxide disposal with police forces across England and Wales](https://countryuk.sitefactory.veolia.com/insights/insights/veolia-at-forefront-tackling-nitrous-oxide-disposal) /* Forcer couleur de fond pour le breadcrumb */ .breadcrumb--theme--veo-neutral-90 { background-color: #4C4C4C !important; } .container--breadcrumbs.theme--background-color--veo-neutral-90 { background-color: #4C4C4C !important; } /* Pictogramme bas droite - modifications */ body.bg-pictogram--bottom-right::after, body.bg-pictogram--bottom-right::before { width: 800px !important; height: 800px !important; right: 0 !important; left: auto !important; bottom: 0 !important; top: auto !important; margin: 0 !important; padding: 0 !important; z-index: 0 !important; background-size: contain !important; background-position: bottom right !important; background-repeat: no-repeat !important; position: fixed !important; } /* Footer au-dessus du pictogramme */ .footer { position: relative !important; z-index: 1 !important; }