1 lb Propane Cylinders — San Diego County
Camping stoves, lanterns, portable heaters and torches all use 1 lb cylinders. San Diego County has 8 refill, 8 exchange, and 1 recycle/drop-off location for these small canisters.
All listed retail sites participate in the ReFuel Your Fun program — a CPSC pilot to swap disposable Coleman-style 1 lb cylinders for reusable, refillable ones. Bringing a reusable cylinder cuts cost per fill by 60–70% and avoids hazardous-waste disposal entirely.
1 lb Refill (8)
Bring your reusable 1 lb cylinder; the operator refills it with propane. Cheaper per ounce than buying new disposables, and far better for the environment. Reusable 1 lb cylinders cost about $40 up front but pay back after 8–10 fills.
1 lb Exchange (8)
Drop off your empty 1 lb reusable cylinder, walk out with a fresh one. Same locations as refill — you choose. Disposable 1 lb cylinders (Coleman green bottles) are not exchanged; only reusable steel cylinders qualify.
1 lb Recycle / Drop-off (1)
Disposable 1 lb cylinders cannot go in regular trash or recycling — they’re considered hazardous waste because residual propane remains inside. Drop them at the location below for safe disposal. Empty the cylinder fully before drop-off (open the valve outdoors until no gas escapes).
Why this matters
Roughly 40 million 1 lb propane cylinders are sold in the U.S. each year, and almost all of them end up in landfills or fires. The Consumer Product Safety Commission's ReFuel Your Fun program partners with retailers to make refillable steel cylinders the default. The full list of San Diego County partner locations is shown above.