Rebottled or reconditioned?
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 first starts with a clean inner surface; the second is cleaned, not replaced.
01Side by side
| Measure | Rebottled | Reconditioned |
|---|---|---|
| Bottle | Brand new HDPE | Used, cleaned |
| Cage | Used, certified | Used, cleaned and certified |
| Inner surface | Never filled | Has held a product before |
| Best for | Repeat chemical fills | Chemical or water use, or the same product again |
| Retest date | On the plate: read it | On the plate: read it |
| Usually trades | To blenders and refill buyers | To blenders, growers and water users |
02When rebottled wins
A blender who changes products between fills wants a bottle that has never held anything. A food or flavour user wants to know the inner surface has no past. A rebottled tote costs the buyer for the new bottle and saves the cage. Where a tote’s whole value is a clean start, rebottled is the one.
03When reconditioned wins
A buyer who refills with the same product the tote last held loses nothing from a used bottle. A grower who needs water storage with a known history is well served too. Reconditioned totes cost less because the bottle is not new, and they carry the cleaning and inspection that makes them certified.
04What rebottled and reconditioned share
Both are certified, and both carry a plate with a retest date. Both are worth asking the date on. Neither is a food-grade tote on its own account: that needs a documented history. Both have their own pages with drawn heel lines, and both sit near the top of the grade ladder.
05Two ways to read the same plate
A rebottled tote carries a new bottle, so the date to read is the new bottle’s test month. A reconditioned tote keeps its original bottle, so the date to read is the last leakproofness test, due every 2.5 years under 49 CFR 180.352. Closed-loop leasing uses only totes a customer used before and had washed or rebottled, while open-loop lets the origin of the unit be flexible, and either route can supply either grade.
?Questions on this page
What is the difference between rebottled and reconditioned totes?
Rebottled has a brand new bottle in a used certified cage; reconditioned has a used bottle and cage, both cleaned and certified.
Which is better for chemicals?
Rebottled when you change products, reconditioned when you refill with the same one.