Tool · 40 CFR 261.7
Is this tote empty? Check it before anyone moves it
Type what the tote last held, its size, the product’s specific gravity and the heel you measured. The Empty Check prints the 40 CFR 261.7 limit for a container over 119 gallons and a weigh-ticket verdict: empty, drain further, triple rinse, or not empty.
Run the check
What the ticket shows
The ticket prints the two limits side by side. The first is 0.3% of the tote's capacity by weight, in gallons and in pounds at the specific gravity you entered. The second is the one-inch depth test. Then it reads your heel against the inch and prints a stamped verdict. Both limits come straight from 40 CFR 261.7(b)(1) for containers over 119 gallons.
Nothing you type leaves the page until you press the button that puts the result into the request. The arithmetic runs in your browser. The RCRA empty guide explains the rule the ticket applies.
The seven verdicts
| Stamp | When it prints | Next step |
|---|---|---|
| EMPTY | Heel at one inch or less; the last contents are not hazardous waste | Request a pickup. The tote can be reused or reconditioned if its bottle, cage and history allow. |
| EMPTY, RECYCLE | Heel at one inch or less; the last contents were hazardous but not acute | Request a pickup. The tote is treated as recycle only. |
| FIND THE SDS | Heel at one inch or less; the last contents are not known | Find the SDS or the supplier label, choose what the tote held and run the check again. No request yet. |
| DRAIN FURTHER | Heel above one inch and you can drain more | The ticket says how many gallons to take out. Measure again. |
| TRIPLE RINSE | Acute hazardous waste with the heel at an inch or less | Rinse three times and write it down. The tote is not empty until then, so no request is offered. After the rinse, run the check again and choose triple rinsed and recorded. Triple rinsing, step by step. |
| EMPTY, TRIPLE RINSED | Acute hazardous waste, triple rinsed and recorded, heel at an inch or less | Request a pickup with the condition triple-rinsed. Keep the rinse record. |
| NOT EMPTY | Heel above one inch and it cannot be drained | Keep it closed and call a licensed hazardous-waste hauler. No request is offered. |
The limits for the two common sizes
The table is here for anyone who prefers to read a number than run a check. It works with JavaScript off.
| Tote | Gallons | Pounds at 1.00 | Pounds at 1.10 | Pounds at 1.20 | Pounds at 1.50 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 275 gallon | 0.83 | 6.9 | 7.6 | 8.3 | 10.3 |
| 330 gallon | 0.99 | 8.3 | 9.1 | 9.9 | 12.4 |
On a 48 by 40 inch floor, one inch of heel is up to 8.3 gallons. That is the depth test, and it is far looser than the 0.3% figure in gallons. The two are alternatives in the rule, not a pair you must both pass.
What the check assumes
- The tote was emptied by ordinary pumping, pouring or draining, the way that product is normally emptied.
- The bottle floor is the 48 by 40 inch footprint. It is a little smaller in practice, so the gallon figure for one inch is an upper bound.
- You measured the heel on a level tote with a clean rod, and you read the wet line.
- The specific gravity is the product's, not the rinse water's.
The check cannot know what the tote really held, and it cannot sign a waste determination. Every verdict says the same last thing: confirm with your hauler and with DOEE, MDE or Virginia DEQ before the tote ships. The three rulebooks says who each of them is. General guidance, not legal advice.
From the ticket to the request
When the stamp is EMPTY or EMPTY, RECYCLE, a button on the ticket puts the result into the request form below: the tote size, the number of totes, the last contents, the heel and the verdict, in the message box. You still add your name, email and ZIP code. A tote that is not empty, or whose last contents are unknown, gets no button, because we take no request for it yet.
Keep reading
- RCRA emptyWhat 40 CFR 261.7 says for containers over 119 gallons: one inch or 0.3% by weight, worked out for 275 and 330 gallon totes.
- Triple rinsingWhen a tote must be triple rinsed (acute hazardous waste), what solvent to use, and where the rinsate goes.
- Request a pickupRequest pickup of empty IBC totes in the DC metro. Tell us size, grade, last contents and truck access, and send the SDS if you have it.
- Three rulebooksDOEE, MDE and Virginia DEQ: who regulates hazardous waste in each part of the DC metro, and when a used tote counts as waste.
- ContactSend a question or a tote request to DC IBC Recycling. Use the request form for pickups, sales and buying.
Sources
Last reviewed . General guidance, not legal advice.
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.