I recently discovered the recycling room in the office building where I work. I've been there a couple of years, now, but my office tended to run on a "we might need that later" philosophy, and it wasn't until recently, after much discussion, that we decided we should probably shift to a "we've already got that on disk" philosphy and actually get rid of some stuff.

"Stuff" in this instance was a tower of A4 paper that reached my armpit. My boss enlisted my help to cart it all down to the recycling room.

The recycling room is in the basement of the office. There are security cameras all the way there and in the room itself, and you need a key to open it. Inside are several rubbish wheelie-bins, and two large paper recycling skips.

And two medium-sized gas tanks. Odd, I thought, as my boss ued one of them as a doorstop. They were rusty and old, with the safety-check stickers almost faded into invisibility. On my second trip down, I decided to check out what they were.

Oxygen and Acetylene. Basically - welding gear. Two highly combustable gases that, by regulations must be chained to a wall and regularly tested. Having them on your premises essentially voids your fire insurance. (I know this, because I pestered my parents to get me a shed with some for years - they're great for glasswork.) ANd we're apparently keeping them in the recycling room.

The last readable test tags were from 2000.  I can't tell if they're empty, and frankly I'm not going to try. So, two tanks that are evidently rusted and haven't been tested in over a decade are lying around in the bottom of a building that didn't even exist five years ago.

Which means someone thought they'd be a good place to get rid of them. Someone with a key to the room, who thought nothing of the legalities and the potential catastrophic explosion that could result of bad things happening to those tanks.

The funny part?

On the wall near the tanks is a sign that reads, all caps: STOP PUTTING POLYSTYRENE IN THE PAPER RECYCLING, WE CAN TRACE YOU BACK TO YOUR OFFICE.

Tanks of explosive gas are fine, but not that polystyrene, oh no. That stuff means people fine you money! This from the management that also brought us "No you can't have a fridge in the second floor kitchen because someone might steal it", and "it's imperitive we stop people from the shopping centre using our toilets".

But you're apparently welcome to an explosive death of your very own.

Skewed priorities are a great mine for comedy. What examples have you seen in your own exploits?