Washington, DC metro · IBC totes
Empty IBC totes, checked and cleared from Washington, DC metro sites
Every empty 275 or 330 gallon tote gets a clear answer before it leaves: is it RCRA empty, what did it last hold, and should it be reused, reconditioned or recycled. Then the space it took up comes back.
Before anyone moves it, measure the heelRead the heel
The heel is the product left in the bottom of a tote after draining. Drop a steel rule or dowel through the fill cap, touch the bottle floor, and read the wet line against the inch marks. That one number decides what happens next.
For a container over 119 gallons, 40 CFR 261.7 gives two ways to be RCRA empty once it has been pumped out: no more than one inch of residue on the bottom, or no more than 0.3% of the capacity by weight. On a 275 gallon tote of water-weight product, 0.3% is about 6.9 pounds.
The rule, quoted and worked out · How to measure the heel · 40 CFR 261.7
Print the weigh ticket
Pick what the tote last held, its size and the specific gravity, then type the heel. The ticket prints the limit in inches, gallons and pounds, and says what to do next. A tote that passes can carry the result into the request.
| Tote | 0.3% in gallons | In pounds at 1.00 | In pounds at 1.20 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 275 gallon | 0.83 | 6.9 | 8.3 |
| 330 gallon | 0.99 | 8.3 | 9.9 |
Three next lives
The path forks once the tote is empty. Which branch it takes depends on the last contents, the bottle and the cage, not on what anyone would like to happen.
Reuse
Same tote, same product. A tote with an intact bottle and a known last product can go back into service as it is. Used, as-is totes and what makes one resellable.
Recondition or rebottle
A used bottle and cage, cleaned and certified, or a new HDPE bottle in a used galvanized steel cage. Reconditioned and rebottled grades.
Recycle
The bottle becomes regrind and the cage goes to steel recycling. A cracked bottle is not the end of the cage. Damaged totes and where the parts go.
Where the totes empty
Most of these sites have a loading dock, not a yard. They are the places in the metro that run through 275 and 330 gallon totes.
- Chiller yards on Route 28Biocide, corrosion inhibitor and glycol, around Sterling, Ashburn and Herndon
- Labs on I-270Reagents and buffers, from Rockville to Germantown
- Breweries on Route 1Syrups and cleaners in Hyattsville and across Northern Virginia
- Yards on New York Avenue NEConstruction, utility and wholesale yards in Ward 5
The area pages describe each county and city. For Loudoun and Prince William, tell us about the site and we will say whether a pickup reaches it; Loudoun and Prince William say more.
Three rulebooks
The capital region is three jurisdictions with three agencies. They share the federal rule and differ on who counts as a generator and who you call.
- District of Columbia: DOEE
- A facility that generates hazardous waste, universal waste or used oil needs an EPA identification number from DOEE's Hazardous Waste Branch.
- Maryland: MDE
- The rules are in COMAR 26.13. Maryland does not recognize the federal very-small-quantity generator category and uses its own small quantity and fully regulated generators.
- Virginia: DEQ
- Virginia DEQ runs the program, with separate pages for large quantity generators, episodic generation and VSQG consolidation.
Each one ends the same way: check with your hauler and with the agency. The three rulebooks, side by side.
Need a clean one
The buy side is smaller. Farms in Montgomery County's Agricultural Reserve, Loudoun growers and gardeners catching rain want a tote with a documented food-only history.
One inch of rain on 1,000 square feet of roof yields about 600 gallons, so a 275 gallon tote fills fast. Stored rainwater is not for drinking, and openings need screens against mosquitoes (UF/IFAS).
Before the truck comes
- Caps closed. The fill cap is tight and the vent is clear.
- Valve closed. The outlet valve is shut and capped.
- Old label on. The label shows the last contents. Do not peel it.
- Cage intact. No bent or broken tubes; the pallet is sound.
- Access. A loading dock, a forklift or a pallet jack can reach the tote.
The SDS for the last product goes with the request. The full checklist.
Floor back
The tote lifts out and the pad is clear. The pale 48 by 40 inch rectangle of clean floor is yours again. Send the request and tell us what is on the dock.
Not sure the tote is empty? Run the check first. A tote that is not empty needs a licensed hazardous-waste hauler, and we take no request for it.
The request
Request a pickup
Tell us the size, how many and where the totes are. Send the SDS for the last contents if you have it; it decides where each tote goes.
Totes that are not empty need a licensed hazardous-waste hauler. We take no request for those.