Used, as-is IBC totes: pumped out, not washed
A used, as-is tote has been emptied by ordinary pumping or draining. The bottle, valve and cage are intact, and the tote has not been washed, so residue of the last contents is still inside.
01What this grade is
This is the grade for the pad. The tote came off the line, was pumped out and sits there. Nothing else has been done to it. On a ticket it is written as used, and it is the grade most plants have most of.
Its use is narrow and clear. The buyer either cleans it or refills it with the same product it last held. A blender who takes a tote that held their own product has no cleaning to do at all.
02What to look at
| Part | What you should see |
|---|---|
| Bottle | Used, with residue on the walls and a heel at the bottom |
| Smell | Present, matching the last contents |
| Cage | Used, may carry drips and scuffs |
| Valve | Working, perhaps sticky |
03What it fits and what it rules out
| Fits | Rules out |
|---|---|
| Refill with the same product the tote last held | Water, food or growing use, until it is washed |
| A buyer with a washing line of their own | Any use where the last contents would be a contaminant |
| A trade between two users of one product | A hazmat fill that needs a current test |
04Which way it trades here
Sellers post it by the pad. Buyers are the same product’s users and the washers.
The desk reads the last contents first, because they decide whether a buyer exists.
05What to put on the ticket
- What it held, by name
- The SDS if it has one
- How much heel remains
- The size and count
06Buying and selling untreated
As-is means pumped out and not washed. The tote left the plant with whatever film and heel remained after draining, and the seller makes no claim beyond that. It is the grade a plant uses when it is clearing a pad of empties it never intended to clean, and it is the grade a buyer who will wash the tote anyway often asks for, because it is cheapest to move.
Buyers of as-is totes are washers, recyclers and chemical users whose own product matches the last contents. The ticket should name the product exactly, because a washer prices the wash by what has to be removed, and a user of the same chemical may need no wash at all.
A used-as-is tote is never offered for a food, water or drinking use. The CDC advises against storing emergency water in containers that held toxic chemicals, and an as-is tote carries its past with it.
?Questions on this page
What does used mean on a tote?
Pumped out, not washed. Residue of the last contents remains inside.
Can I sell a used tote without cleaning it?
Yes, to a buyer who will clean it or refill with the same product.