Disposal in order
- Find the last contents. The label, the bill of lading, the customer or the SDS. No answer means "unknown", which blocks reuse and may block recycling.
- Check the empty rule. For a tote that held hazardous waste, empty is a regulatory test, not a look. See RCRA empty.
- Sort by grade with the grader. Reuse and rebottling candidates are worth more kept whole than scrapped.
- Send the counts by grade. The request is answered by email.
What can be cleared and how
Totes with sound parts and a known, non-hazardous history can be resold for reuse. Totes with a good cage and a bad bottle go to rebottling. Totes with a bad cage and a good bottle and valve give up parts. What is left is steel and HDPE for recycling.
Totes that held a hazardous chemical, or hazardous waste, are a different problem. They need the SDS, the right permit and an approved carrier, and whether they can be reused at all depends on the waste rules. This site does not manage hazardous waste. It tells you where the line is.
If a tote still holds liquid and you do not know what, leave it. Do not pump it into a drain or a drum. Find the SDS or call the product's supplier.
The audit and the lease turnover
Clearing a site before a lease ends or an inspection starts is the usual trigger. Two practical points. First, the back wall is easier to defend once it is sorted: "14 used, 9 rebottling candidates, 6 parts, 5 scrap" reads as a plan, while "a pile of totes" does not. Second, keep the paperwork you do have. Delivery notes, SDS copies and supplier letters are what turn "unknown" into a named last product.
When disposal is the right route
Disposal applies when a tote cannot be reused because of what is in it or what it held. That includes unknown contents, a hazardous residue above the empty limit, or damage that makes a tote unsafe to move. The route is not a sale; it is paperwork and a licensed handler.
The first step is to find the safety data sheet. It names the product and says how to dispose of it. The second is to ask your waste handler whether the tote counts as waste under the rules for your site.
Do not decant, rinse or dilute. Any of those can turn a contained problem into a spill. Keep the cap on, keep the tote upright and keep it somewhere dry.
What a handler will ask you
Expect questions about the product name, the amount of residue, whether the tote has been rinsed, the age of the tote and where it is stored. A handler also wants to know whether the site generates waste regularly, because that changes the paperwork.
Having the safety data sheet to hand shortens the call. If you have no sheet, a photograph of the label, the product name and the supplier name is a good substitute.
What disposal is not
It is not a sale, and it is not a favor. It is a service with a cost, a record and a legal responsibility that stays with the generator. If someone offers to take hazardous totes away for nothing and gives you no paperwork, ask where they are going.
Keeping a record
Whatever route is taken, keep the paperwork. Dates, manifests, the handler's name and the tote count form the trail that shows you did it properly. Store it with your site records, not in a truck cab, and keep it as long as your permits require.
The same record helps if a tote later turns up where it should not be.
Timing and storage while you wait
Disposal can take longer than a sale. While you wait, store the totes upright on a containment pallet, caps on, labelled with the product and the date. Keep them away from drains, ignition sources and people.
If any tote is leaking, put it in a larger container and call your handler at once.
Questions to put to a handler first
Ask whether they are licensed for the product you have, how they transport it, what paperwork they provide and how soon they can come. Ask what they need from you. A good handler answers in plain terms and puts it in writing.
Compare two if you can, but do not delay a leaking tote for the sake of a quote.
Spills and emergencies
If a tote splits or a valve fails, stop the flow if you safely can, keep people away and call the emergency number for your area. Do not wash product into a drain. Absorbent pads and a bucket handle small drips; larger releases need trained responders.
Afterwards, write down what happened while it is fresh.
Questions people ask
Can you take totes that held chemicals?
It depends on the chemical, the permit and the carrier. Send the request with the last contents and the SDS, and the reply will say what is possible.
Do you handle hazardous waste?
No. The site explains the empty rule and the checks, and points to the federal regulation. Hazardous waste follows its own rules.
Do I have to sort the totes before you look?
No. Counts by grade help the reply, but a rough description is a fine start.
Sources. Last reviewed 2026-11-11.