Tote reference
Food-grade-history totes
A food-grade-history tote is one whose paperwork shows it only ever held food. The history is what makes it fit for stock water, irrigation and food use; a rinse and a clean look do not.
What food-grade history is
It is a record, not a grade of plastic. The plastic itself, polyethylene, is on the 21 CFR 177.1520 list of olefin polymers that may be safely used in articles that contact food. But a particular bottle is only food grade if everything it has held was food. One chemical fill ends it.
The paperwork is the supplier name, the product and the dates for each fill, with the original label if it is still on. If the history cannot be shown, we treat the tote as an ordinary used tote.
What the paperwork shows, and what it does not
| Evidence | What it shows | What it does not |
|---|---|---|
| Supplier paperwork for each fill | The tote held that food product | That nothing else was ever poured in |
| The original label | The last product | The fills before it |
| A seller's note | The seller's account of the tote's life | More than the seller knows |
| A rinse | That the interior was flushed | That it was ever food grade |
The CDC says not to store emergency water in containers that previously held liquid or solid toxic chemicals, such as bleach or pesticides, and that FDA-approved food-grade containers are best. A tote follows the same logic.
Uses, and the line we hold
A food-grade-history tote suits stock water, irrigation and rain catchment. UF/IFAS adds that stored rainwater is not for drinking and that openings should be screened against mosquitoes; the rainwater guide has the details.
A rinsed chemical tote is not fit for drinking water, whatever it looks like. Food-grade use requires documented food-grade history, and a tote without it is sold for other jobs.
Where these totes come from
They come from the sellers on the other side of the site: breweries and distilleries, food and beverage plants and syrup and flavouring users who keep their history. Selling food-grade empties explains how they keep the record.
Ask for one through the request below. Say the size, the number and the job. The rinsed grade is the alternative when a tote's history cannot be shown.
Questions to put to a seller
- What exactly did the tote hold, and when?
- Is the original label still on?
- Was it ever used for a non-food product?
- Where was it stored, and was the cap kept closed?
- Can the supplier paperwork be copied to me?
A seller who answers all five in writing has given you more than a rinse ever could.
Keep reading
- BuyClean used 275 and 330 gallon IBC totes for farms, growers and rain catchment in the DC metro, sorted by grade and last contents.
- RainwaterHow much rain a roof sends to a tote, why the tote must have a food-grade history, screening against mosquitoes and winter draining.
- RinsedA rinsed tote is emptied and flushed, with the original bottle left in. It is not food or pharma grade. See its uses and limits.
- Food-grade emptiesBreweries, distilleries and food plants: how to keep a tote's food-grade history intact so it can be sold for food or water use.
Sources
- 21 CFR 177.1520, Olefin polymers (Cornell LII)
- How to create and store an emergency water supply (CDC)
- Saving and using rainwater (UF/IFAS)
Last reviewed . General guidance, not legal advice.
The request
Ask for a clean tote
Tell us what the tote is for and how many you need. Food-grade history is documented before a tote goes to water or farm use.
Totes that are not empty need a licensed hazardous-waste hauler. We take no request for those.