Damaged IBC totes: scrap, parts and recycling
A damaged tote is one with a cracked or punctured bottle, a bent or broken cage, a broken pallet or a valve that will not seal. It is good for parts, for rebottling of the cage, and for recycling the HDPE and steel.
01What this grade is
The bottom of the ladder is not worthless. A cage that is only a little bent can still be rebottled, and a broken one is scrap. A cracked bottle is no use as a tote but the plastic recycles. A valve that will not seal can be replaced, and while it is out, the tote cannot hold its contents.
The drawing for this grade has a crack through the bottle and a bent corner on the cage. In a pad the damaged totes are the ones that tip, leak or will not stack, and a plant that sorts them out early speeds up the rest of the clear.
02What to look at
| Part | What you should see |
|---|---|
| Bottle | Cracked, punctured or crazed |
| Cage | Bent bars, broken welds, rust through |
| Pallet base | Broken pockets or planks |
| Valve | Will not seal, cracked body |
03What it fits and what it rules out
| Fits | Rules out |
|---|---|
| Parts: valves, caps, lids, cages | Any use that holds liquid |
| Rebottling of a sound cage | Stacking |
| Recycling of the HDPE and the steel | Transport of anything |
04Which way it trades here
Sellers post it, usually inside a larger pad. The route is a recycler or a parts buyer.
It never blocks a trade: list it as a lot and the clean totes move on their own.
05What to put on the ticket
- What is damaged: bottle, cage, pallet or valve
- Whether it is empty and what it held
- Count and where it stands
06Signs that put a tote here
A damaged tote has a defect that rules out reuse for liquid: a cracked or bulged bottle, a weeping seam, a split base or a cage with a broken weld or bent bars. Scuffs alone do not make a tote damaged. A fine surface scratch is cosmetic. A crack that runs through the wall is not, and neither is a swelling that suggests heat or a softened plastic.
The parts have different values. The steel cage is scrap, or can be reused with a new bottle if sound. The bottle, if it is polyethylene and not contaminated by a regulated chemical, can be ground and recycled. The valve and cap can sometimes be saved. A seller who separates the parts often gets more from the lot than one who posts it whole.
Safety is the other reason this grade exists. A damaged tote should never be filled, never stacked and never lifted full. The desk marks a lot as damaged so that no buyer picks it up expecting something else.
?Questions on this page
What happens to a damaged IBC tote?
Parts, rebottling of a sound cage, or recycling of the HDPE and steel.
Does a damaged tote need a retest?
No. It is out of tote service. A sound cage can be rebottled and certified again.