I have quite a few empty very old fire extinguishers which were left in my old barn by previous owners.
I tried the local pompiers and they won’t take them and couldn’t tell me where to take them . The déchèterie was just the same!
Has anyone else had this problem
Discharge them and into the scrap metal,
They are all discharged so I will try that once I find one,
Many thanks Corona. Why couldn’t the pompiers suggest that!!!
Sorry think I may have read your post wrong , Dechetterie would not let me put into the metal container. I took your suggestion to be take to a scrap metal merchant.
Not relevant
What is not relevant?
Can only be because the decheterie are ignorant. Once empty they are no different to any other metal container. Try a different decheterie. I would understand if they were pressurised.
I have tried two different ones but had the same response at both so think the easiest is find scrap metal merchant.
We luckily have one across the road from the decheterie so anything they don’t take across the road do. Obviously some civil servant has written a bad document and all the little droids just follow.
Do they watch what you do at the dechets now then? Can you not just go to the right bin and dump them? I have an awful feeling I already know the answer to that one though in this new highly regulated wonderful world of ours. 
As of next week they stop door to door collections here, and for the last couple of months my local déchèterie has been watching everyone like a hawk. They’re literally cutting open black bags and handing it back to you if its stuff you’d normally put in the wheelie bin, presumably because they’re concerned that with moving to an ‘X number of bags allowed per year in the communal bin’ system everyone will just take the rest to the tip rather than reduce the amount. It didn’t help that the guy doing it had a strong Mancunian accent, being told off by a French person is what I’ve come to expect, they seem to delight in it, but from a Brit it felt like a dagger in my heart 
Out of curiosity I looked it up
Recycler un extincteur est compliqué pour plusieurs raisons :
Tout cela fait que les extincteurs sont considérés comme des déchets diffus spécifiques (DDS) et doivent être traités avec soin.
Pour le recyclage, les vieux extincteurs ou extincteurs défectueux de moins de 2kg sont considérés comme “petits déchets chimiques”. La collecte, le traitement et la gestion de ce genre de déchet peut-être généralement prit en charge par une déchetterie ou autre service spécialisé en recyclage
Vos vieux extincteurs de plus de 2kg sont considérés comme des “déchets dangereux” (DDS). Ils doivent donc être traités par des entreprises spécialisées dans le traitement et la gestion des déchets dangereux, comme Véolia ou Triadis (payant).
Il est envoyé dans un centre de spécialisé où il est dépressurisé puis vidé. Les composants contenus dans ces extincteurs (pièces métalliques, agent extincteur, plastiques) sont séparés puis envoyés vers des entreprises spécialisées. Ces composants seront récupérés ou détruits conformément à la loi.
People at my déchet are really nice and very helpful, will always offer to help me empty the car or van. Have to show the card and they look in car at entrance and when van parks up will look to see what’s in it. I
have no trouble with that.
Unlike where I lived in uk, the men would just shout out Can’t put that there etc from their perch usually with a cigarette and mug of tea or coffee. My friend got banned for rest of week because she took garden waste 3 times in same day!
So nice to be able to live in France .
I originally replied that our dechetterie took scrap metal, but it was irrelevant because you posted your comment about being refused while I was still writing.
We don’t know what the extinguisher contained true, but it’s dumb if it’s water. And powder makes a bit of a mess but is not toxic. As stated in the earlier post the units had been discharged.
I have a friend who makes lamps out of anything. He’s based near Me Blanc, Brenne (36).
I am certain that he would take them off your hands, and maybe gift you an illuminated extinguisher in return!
Rob_le_Pest
Thank you sent you a PM.
PM received and responded.
He’s suddenly retired and has hung up his lightbulbs. He’d take anything.
Sorry, but I tried !
Give him a good lamping 