Questions
Questions about empty totes
Short answers on RCRA empty, triple rinsing, last contents, damaged totes, food-grade history and the District, Maryland and Virginia rules. Each links to the guide that goes deeper.
Where to start
Run the Empty Check if you have a tote in front of you. The questions below are for everything the check does not answer.
Questions people ask
When is an IBC tote considered empty?
When it has been pumped out and either one inch of residue or less is on the bottom, or 0.3% of capacity by weight or less remains. Acute hazardous waste needs a triple rinse first. The RCRA empty guide has the rule.
How much residue can be left in a 275 gallon tote for it to be RCRA empty?
About 6.9 pounds of a water-weight product by the weight test, or one inch of depth by the depth test. A 330 gallon tote allows 8.3 pounds at water weight.
Can you recycle IBC totes?
Yes. The HDPE bottle becomes regrind and the galvanized steel cage is rebottled or recycled as steel. A tote must be empty first. See recycling.
How do you dispose of an IBC tote that held chemicals?
Pump it out, measure the heel, and check it against the rule. If it passes, request a pickup. If it does not, it is hazardous waste and needs a licensed hauler. Chemical empties lays out the order.
Do I have to triple rinse an IBC tote?
Only if it held an acute hazardous waste. Other totes pass at one inch or 0.3% after pumping out. Triple rinsing, step by step.
Who buys used IBC totes?
Reconditioners, rebottlers, growers and recyclers, depending on grade. Send what you have through the sell request.
What is the difference between a reconditioned and a rebottled tote?
A reconditioned tote keeps its own bottle, cleaned. A rebottled tote has a brand new HDPE bottle in a used cage. See reconditioned and rebottled totes.
What happens to a tote with a cracked bottle?
A sound cage takes a new bottle. A ruined cage goes to steel and the bottle to regrind. Damaged totes says which.
Can a tote that held glycol be reused?
Often for the same product, or reconditioned, or recycled. It depends on the SDS, the bottle and the plate. It is not a food tote.
Can I use a used chemical tote for rainwater?
No. Use a food-grade-history tote. The CDC advises against containers that held toxic chemicals. The rainwater guide says why.
Do I need to send the SDS with an empty tote?
Send it with the request if you have it. It names the last contents and the specific gravity, and it decides the grade. Last contents and the SDS.
Which agency regulates hazardous waste in DC, Maryland and Virginia?
DOEE in the District, MDE in Maryland and Virginia DEQ in Virginia. The three rulebooks describes each.
Does the site take every tote?
No. A tote that is not empty under the federal rule goes to a licensed hauler, and no request is taken for it.
Where do I start?
With the Empty Check.
Do you publish prices?
No. No price, minimum quantity or turnaround has been set for this site, so none is stated.
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.
- Empty CheckEnter last contents, tote size, specific gravity and heel depth. Get the 40 CFR 261.7 verdict and the next step for the tote.
- SellSell used 275 and 330 gallon IBC totes from DC, Maryland and Northern Virginia sites. Grade, last contents and SDS decide where they go.
- BuyClean used 275 and 330 gallon IBC totes for farms, growers and rain catchment in the DC metro, sorted by grade and last contents.
Sources
Last reviewed . General guidance, not legal advice.