SOLUTION / PUBLIC SOURCE RECORD
Miljø Norge creates circular market for used fire extinguishers
- Published May 12, 2023; updated September 28, 2026; estimated reading time 3 minutes. Categories: Circular economy; Industrial production.
- Miljø Norge refurbishes expired fire extinguishers on an automated line: units are emptied and refilled, checked for damage, repressurised and cleaned. Each refurbished extinguisher comes with a certificate comparing its environmental value with a new product. The process takes about 30 seconds per unit; the company said the line could service 400,000 extinguishers in two shifts or potentially 500,000 in three shifts, enough for Norway and Sweden. Its first production line was running in Norway, with European scaling possible under common EU standards.
- The article describes fire extinguishers as causing emissions, mineral extraction and hazardous waste from production through disposal. It says a reused Miljø Norge extinguisher avoids 38 kg of CO₂ emissions and extraction of 15 kg of iron ore, and that a unit can be refurbished at least three times, extending life by 20 years or more. Reuse is presented as reducing new imports, raw-material use, hazardous waste and shipping emissions.
- Market context cited: global fire-extinguisher demand was forecast to reach USD 7.2 billion by 2028. The article says the EU has 250 million extinguishers, with 30 million requiring replacement each year. Miljø Norge was established in 2021; it reportedly serviced 20,000 units the prior year, expected 100,000 that year, and planned automated lines in other European markets within one or two years. Customers include fire-prevention and insurance companies, retailers, schools and hospitals. SDG 12 shown.
- Contact: Njål K Norheim, Sales Director, nkn@miljonorge.no. Company: MILJØ NORGE AS, Vebjørns vei 5, 3414 Lierstranda, Norway; miljonorge.no/en/home/.