Propane Tank & Grill Disposal in Orlando, FL: Free Drop-Off, Tank Exchange, Curbside Grill Rules

✓ Last verified Oct 28, 2026 against official sources · see sources

First: are you in the City of Orlando or unincorporated Orange County?

Propane tanks follow the same rule everywhere in the county: no curbside pickup, and free drop-off at county sites. The rules for the grill itself depend on who collects your trash. An "Orlando" mailing address doesn't mean you're inside city limits:

• City residents: check the city's Do I Live in City Limits? map. Trash service is run by the City of Orlando Solid Waste Division.
• Unincorporated county residents: curbside service is run by Orange County Utilities. Look up your collection days.
• Other cities (Winter Park, Apopka, Ocoee, Winter Garden, Maitland and others) have their own curbside rules. Check your city's website.

Propane tanks: never in the cart or at the curb

• Orange County's What Goes Where tool says: "There is no curbside collection for this household hazardous waste." That covers grill (BBQ) tanks and small camping propane cylinders.
• The county's curbside program page says: "To help prevent truck fires, DO NOT place items such as batteries, oil, pool chemicals, and propane tanks in the carts."
• The City of Orlando's Too Toxic to Trash page says: "By law, Hazardous Waste cannot be collected curbside," and sends city residents to the same free county drop-off sites below.

Option 1: Free county drop-off (household hazardous waste)

Orange County residents can drop off propane tanks free of charge. No commercial waste is accepted.

• Other pressurized cylinders aren't accepted, only propane. That rules out things like helium, oxygen or acetylene tanks at these sites.
• Questions: Orange County Solid Waste Hotline 407-836-6601 or [email protected].
• The most recent community event we found was October 24, 2026, at East River High School. Check the county's HHW page for the next one.

Getting it there safely. AmeriGas's transport guidance says to keep the tank upright and secured (wedged between the front and back seats, or in a milk crate in the trunk), close the valve even if it's empty, never leave a filled tank in a hot vehicle, and go straight to your destination.

Option 2: Swap it at a tank-exchange display

If you have a standard grill tank and still grill, exchanging it hands the old tank back into a refill program.

• AmeriGas says propane tanks "can't be thrown away in your regular trash pickup" and that "exchanging a tank is an appropriate way of recycling your old propane grill tank." Find a retailer through its buy, exchange or dispose page.
• Blue Rhino says to leave your empty tank at the store's outdoor propane display (never bring tanks inside) and pay inside. It says every exchanged tank is cleaned, leak-tested and inspected, and requalified when needed, before reuse. See How Blue Rhino Works.

Old or out-of-date tank? AmeriGas says the tank's manufacture date is stamped on its collar and that recertification is generally needed 5 to 12 years from that date (AmeriGas recertification page). Whether a store will exchange an out-of-date, rusty or damaged tank is up to that retailer. If you're not sure, use the free county drop-off instead.

The grill itself

Unincorporated Orange County: the county's What Goes Where tool lists barbecue grills (including portable and smoker grills) as large-item collection on your garbage day.

• Remove the propane tank first. The county says tanks are not collected curbside.
• Set the grill out neatly by 6 a.m. on your collection day.
• Limit large items to 3 cubic yards (about one small pickup truckload) per household per week.

City of Orlando: the city picks up two free large items on yard waste day, as long as they can be loaded by hand (Get Large Items Picked Up). Its list names appliances, furniture, and "other items that can be loaded onto the truck by hand." It doesn't name grills specifically. Items too big or heavy to load by hand need a claw truck, scheduled by calling 407.246.2314. Take the propane tank off and handle it separately either way.

Pay someone to haul it

If you're clearing out a patio or garage and don't want to make the trips, a junk-removal company can take a grill. Many won't take propane tanks or other hazardous materials, so ask before you book. We haven't verified any Orlando-area prices, so we don't list them.

What we couldn't verify

We list these openly rather than guess:

• Whether the City of Orlando treats a gas grill as one of its two free hand-loadable large items. The city's list doesn't name grills.
• Whether the McLeod Road Transfer Station takes propane tanks. The county's HHW page lists only the Landfill and Porter as drop-off sites.
• What to do with tanks over 100 lbs (such as larger residential tanks). The county sites don't take them, and we didn't find an official alternative. If the tank is leased, contact the propane company that owns it.
• Whether specific Orlando-area stores accept expired or damaged tanks for exchange, and whether any take 1-lb camping cylinders. Ask the store, or use the county drop-off (camping cylinders are covered by the county's propane listing).
• Whether scrap metal recyclers in the Orlando area take empty propane tanks or grills.
• Junk-removal prices in the Orlando area.

Spotted something out of date? Rules change. The sources we used are listed below, so you can check the official page directly.