Questions sellers and buyers ask the desk
Who buys used IBC totes near Philadelphia? The desk matches plants, blenders, growers and gardeners across the river. The answers below put the short version first and link to the full guide.
01Selling
What do I need to tell a buyer before they pick up my totes? Four things: last contents, the SDS, the rinse state, and the count by size and grade. Without them a ticket goes back and forth. The page on what to tell us lists them with the reason for each.
Do I need to rinse a tote before selling it? Not always. A tote that held a hazardous waste counts as empty under RCRA only when it meets the container test in 40 CFR 261.7, and one that held an acute hazardous waste only after a triple rinse or an equivalent cleaning. Rinsing also moves a tote up the ladder from dirty toward rinsed. The desk asks before anything moves.
When is an IBC tote that held hazardous waste RCRA empty? For a container over 119 gallons, when no more than 0.3 percent of its capacity by weight remains, or one inch of residue on the bottom, and for acute hazardous waste only after triple rinsing. The RCRA guide quotes the section.
02Buying
What is the difference between rebottled and reconditioned totes? A rebottled tote has a brand new HDPE bottle in a used, certified steel cage. A reconditioned tote keeps its used bottle and cage, both cleaned and certified. The rebottled-versus-reconditioned guide sets them side by side.
Can a used IBC tote be used for drinking water? No. A used tote is never sold for drinking water. A food-grade history is a documented record that a tote only ever held food-safe contents, and it is a history, not a grade. Rainwater from a tote is for the garden.
What is a food-grade tote? A tote with a documented food-safe past. Without the record it is not food grade, however clean it looks.
03Reading the tote
How long is an IBC tote good for before it needs a retest? A leakproofness test and an external inspection every 2.5 years, and an internal inspection at least every five, under 49 CFR 180.352. The retest date checker does the sums from the date on the plate.
What does 31HA1 mean on a tote? It is the UN code for a composite IBC: a plastic inner receptacle in a steel outer frame, the common caged tote. The rest of the plate is explained mark by mark in the UN plate guide.
How much does an empty 275 gallon tote weigh? One source in the desk’s research gives 135 pounds for a caged 275. Weigh your own, and read the plate for the maximum gross mass.
04Loading, rules and use
How many totes fit on a truck? One source puts up to 60 IBCs in a standard 53 foot trailer, and 28 to 56 for the medium 250 to 350 gallon sizes. The totes-per-truck guide shows how the count is made.
How many 55 gallon drums does a 275 gallon tote replace? Five, and a 330 replaces six. See the drums-to-totes page for the floor space.
Can I store diesel or gasoline in a plastic IBC tote? Plastic and composite IBCs should never be used for Class I flammable liquids. The fuel guide covers what the fire code asks.
Are the rules for empty totes the same in Pennsylvania, New Jersey and Delaware? The federal baseline is the same. Each state’s agency administers its own program, so the desk records which state applies on the ticket. The three-state guide names the agencies.
How much rain can a rowhouse roof put into a 275 gallon tote? About 0.6 gallons per square foot of roof per inch of rain, the University of Florida extension’s figure. An 800 square foot roof catches roughly 480 gallons in an inch of rain, more than one tote.
05Numbers people ask for
A 275 gallon tote stands 42 to 46 inches tall on a 48 by 40 inch base. A 330 holds about 1,250 liters. Empty caged totes stack four high and full ones two. A trailer carries 28 to 60 depending on size. Water weighs 8.34 pounds a gallon, so a full 275 holds about 2,294 pounds of water before the tote.
?Questions on this page
How do I post a ticket?
Use the request page: choose HAVE or NEED, then the size, grade, quantity and ZIP. The form is short and the desk asks the rest.
Does the desk publish prices?
No. No prices, minimums, who pays or turnaround times are published until the desk has them in writing.