41 answers, no phone call required
Grouped by what you are actually trying to do rather than by what is easiest for us to answer. If yours is not here, the form reaches a grader.
- Sheet
- 01
- Revision
- 2026-10
- Scale
- 1:1
- Drawn at
- Peoria IL
Buying totes
What is your minimum order?
One container if you collect from the yard, four for delivery within 60 miles, twelve for free delivery on a standing lane.
How much does a used IBC tote cost?
Between $8 for a scrap cage and $95 for a food-grade Grade A unit. Grade B — the most common choice — generally runs $38 to $52 for a 275 gallon.
Can I see the actual containers before I commit?
Yes. Every container is photographed at intake and we will send the shots of the specific pallet you are buying, not stock images.
Do you deliver, and what does it cost?
We deliver on our own trucks within 300 miles. Freight is free on qualifying loads (generally 12+ containers) and quoted otherwise.
Can I pick up myself?
Yes, by appointment during business hours. Bring straps. We will load you with our forklift.
What payment terms do you offer?
Card or ACH on pickup for new accounts; net-15 or net-30 for established accounts and institutional buyers.
Do you sell single containers to the public?
Yes. Plenty of our Grade C and upcycle sales go to gardeners, homesteaders and shop owners buying exactly one.
What if the load arrives below the grade I bought?
We replace it or refund it. No inspection report needed from you, no restocking fee, no argument.
Selling us your totes
Do you really pay for empty totes?
Yes, $8 to $95 per container depending on grade. Empties are inventory, not waste, and pricing them as waste is how they end up buried.
How do I get a quote?
Four photos per container type — placard, valve, top fitting and a wide shot of the stack — plus a count and the last contents. We quote within 24 hours.
Is pickup free when I am selling?
On qualifying loads, yes: generally 12 or more containers within our radius. Smaller counts near Peoria are usually free too.
How fast can you collect?
Five to eight business days on most lanes. Peoria-area loads are often same-week. Shutdown deadlines get scheduled against the date, not the queue.
What will you not buy?
Acutely hazardous residue, restricted-use pesticide containers, totes with destroyed UN markings for regulated resale, unrinsed unknowns, and anything you do not own outright.
Can you take containers with product still in them?
Not as-is. We can coordinate licensed disposal of the remaining product first, then buy the empty container.
What paperwork do I get?
A bill of lading and a per-load diversion statement with counts by grade, destination path and estimated landfill avoided in pounds.
Grades, specs and markings
What do Grade A, B and C mean?
A is re-release ready with a documented history and legible markings; B is stained but structurally sound; C is heavily stained and watertight. Our full definitions and the eighteen checks behind them are published on the grading standard page.
Is there an industry standard for grading?
No. There is no national grading authority for used IBCs, which is why you should read the definition rather than trust the letter.
How do I know if a tote is food grade?
You cannot tell by looking. It requires an FDA-compliant bottle, a documented food-only history, a validated wash and a certificate. Everything else is a guess.
What does 31HA1 mean?
31 = rigid IBC for liquids, HA = plastics inner receptacle with a steel outer casing, 1 = rigid outer casing. It is the code on most composite totes.
What if the UN marking is unreadable?
The container is permanently out of regulated service. It can still do non-regulated work or be recycled, but there is no re-certification path.
What capacity are the two common sizes?
275 gallon (1040 L) at 46 inches tall, and 330 gallon (1250 L) at 53 inches. Both share a 48 × 40 inch footprint.
How long does an IBC tote last?
Five to eight years of service life per bottle, and the cage and pallet routinely outlast three or four bottles. What ends most containers is a cheap valve or a bad stack, not the plastic.
Services
What is a triple rinse exactly?
Three rinses at roughly 10% of container volume each, with detergent or caustic in the middle cycle, drained through the valve, documented with cycle, temperature and operator.
Can you wash my own containers and return them?
Yes — toll washing and toll reconditioning. Your serials, your branding, returned with a cleaning record rather than entering general inventory.
What is rebottling?
Replacing just the polyethylene bottle while reusing the cage, pallet and often the hardware. About 60% of the container by weight is reused and it costs roughly half of new.
Do you modify containers?
Constantly. Cut tops, bulkhead ports, manifolds, insulation, heaters, cage modifications and branding. Send a photo of a sketch and you will get a parts list back.
What is the fleet pooling program?
We own a float of containers, you pay monthly per container in service, and washing, repairs and replacement are included. Minimum 25 containers.
Will you grade containers at my site?
Yes. A grader works about 60 containers an hour and leaves you a tagged, counted inventory with a firm offer. Free when we buy the load.
Do you handle regulated disposal?
We handle the documentation and route regulated residue to licensed partners. We never sign as generator and we will tell you plainly when a load is not ours to take.
Shipping and handling
How many totes fit on a truck?
48 empties on a 53 foot flatbed, 40 single-stacked or 80 double-stacked in a dry van, and 20 filled containers in either — filled loads are weight-limited, not space-limited.
Can I stack IBC totes?
Empties three high with cage posts aligned. Filled, two high and only on rated units. In transit, filled containers travel one high.
Will a tote fit through a standard door?
Not on its pallet — 48 inches of width beats a 36 inch door. Double doors and roll-ups are fine.
What does a full tote weigh?
A 275 gallon of water is 2,420 lb gross. Multiply the product weight by specific gravity for anything denser — liquid fertiliser puts you over 3,100 lb.
Do you ship outside your radius?
Yes, by common carrier. Double-stacked empties ship surprisingly cheaply over long distances.
How are loads secured?
Four straps per row minimum, corner boards at every cage contact point, bulkhead-braced and load-barred for filled freight.
Environmental questions
What is your landfill diversion rate?
97% by mass in 2025, with zero whole containers landfilled. The remaining 3% is gasket rubber, label adhesive, wash sludge and filter media.
How much CO₂ does buying used actually save?
About 212 lb of CO₂e per container versus manufacturing a new composite IBC, which carries roughly 262 lb of embodied emissions.
Doesn't washing containers waste water?
It would, open-loop: about 60 gallons per container. Our recovery loop brings that down to 4.1 gallons of fresh water per wash.
Where does the plastic go when a tote is scrapped?
Granulated to 8–12 mm HDPE regrind and sold to regional moulders making pipe, profile, pallets and crates. Cages are baled for regional steel mills.
Are your numbers third-party verified?
No, and we say so every time we quote them. We publish the factors and the arithmetic so you can check the work, but a reviewer would be right to call that a limitation.
Can I get an impact statement for our ESG report?
Yes, on letterhead, for your reporting period. Put 'impact statement' in the message field with your quantities.
Question number 42?
Email info@ibctotespickup.com or use the form at the top of any page. A grader answers, usually the same business day.