Got empties piling up? We pay cash.
If you've got more than five clean IBC totes you don't need, we want them. We pay cash on pickup, we drive to you, and we never charge a hauling fee for a load worth buying.
Tell us what you've got
Same form, every page. Tell us what you've got or what you need; we send a real quote (not a sales drip).
What we pay
| Condition | Per tote | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Pristine, food-grade prior contents (verifiable) | $120 | Top dollar; cage and pallet must be intact. |
| Industrial reconditionable | $65 | Most-common grade; minor cage dings ok. |
| Used, mixed prior contents | $45 | Standard rate. |
| Damaged cage / split bottle | $35 | Headed to the granulator — still pays. |
| Rare cages (Mauser SX-EX, Greif Foodcert) | +$25 | Bonus on top of base grade. |
Pricing is indicative. Final price set on inspection. We never lowball at pickup — if a tote disappoints, we'll tell you on email first.
How it works
- Send specs. Quantity, prior contents, photos if you have them.
- We quote. Per-tote price + pickup cost (usually $0 for full pallets).
- We schedule. Truck shows up at your dock within a week, often within 48 hours on existing routes.
- Cash on the spot. Or net-15 by your preference. Weight ticket and bill of lading provided.
What we won't buy
- Totes with prior contents we can't identify and that look like industrial waste.
- Totes still containing residue (we can arrange a separate disposal route — see recycling).
- Single units, unless you're already on our route.
- Anything that previously held pesticides, controlled substances, or explosive materials. Federal rules make these very expensive to handle.
The full process, step by step
What happens between your first email and the cash hitting your account.
- Day 0 — initial email. Subject line "buy-back, [your city]." Tell us roughly: how many totes, what they previously held (or what kind of facility you run if you don't know), photos if you have them, and your timeline.
- Day 0-1 — quote. Per-tote price by grade (we'll often need to do final grading on inspection), pickup cost, and a couple of date options. Quote is good for two weeks.
- Day 0-2 — schedule confirmation. If we're routing against an existing run, we send you the date + 90-minute window. If you need a hard appointment time, we book it.
- Pickup day — driver arrives. Driver presents bill of lading, finds the totes, loads with our pallet jack or your forklift. Total on-site time typically 30-90 minutes.
- Pickup day — count, sign, payment. Driver counts totes, you sign the bill of lading, payment is your choice (cash, ACH, net-15).
- Day 1-2 after — receiving confirmation. You get an email confirming the totes arrived at our yard, with the final tote count and any grading notes.
- Day 1-7 after — settlement. Final invoice or payment confirmation. If grading came in different than the initial quote, we explain why with photos.
What "clean" means for buy-back
"Clean" doesn't mean we expect you to wash the totes. It means:
- Empty. Drained as completely as a typical IBC drains. A few ounces of residual liquid is fine.
- Identified. You know what was previously in them, and ideally have a label or paperwork.
- Closed. Top cap and bottom valve closed during transport.
- Stable. Cage geometry intact enough that the tote rides safely on a truck.
- Single-chemistry. Each tote has held one prior chemistry — not a mix.
What "clean" doesn't mean: spotless, washed, or sanitized. We do all of that.
Volume programs
For sellers with a steady supply of empties, we have programs that simplify the process and improve the per-tote price:
Monthly pickup contract
If you generate 30+ empties per month consistently, we can set up a standing pickup. You email us when you have a load ready; we lock in a per-tote rate for 12 months and remove the per-pickup quoting cycle.
Drop-yard partnership
For very high-volume generators (chemical distributors, ag co-ops), we'll set up a drop-yard at your facility. We bring an empty trailer; you fill it as totes accumulate; we swap trailers monthly.
End-to-end fleet service
Combine buy-back, recondition, and re-supply: we buy your empties, wash them, and sell them back to you on a rotating schedule. Net-out the invoices; pay a small per-cycle service fee.
Common buy-back questions
What if my totes contained something exotic?
Email a copy of the SDS or a photo of the original label. We'll tell you within a day whether we can take them and what wash protocol we'd use. If we can't take them, we'll usually recommend a permitted hazwaste broker.
How long until I see my money?
Cash on pickup if you want; otherwise ACH within 24 hours or check on Friday following pickup. Larger lots (100+ totes) may take a week to fully process and settle.
Will you take partial loads?
Five totes is our practical minimum for a free pickup. Smaller lots can drop off at the yard any weekday — also free. We don't usually pay extra for sub-five-tote pickups; the freight cost typically eats the per-tote value.
What about cracked, leaky, or unusable totes?
We still take them — at the lowest grade ($35/tote). They go straight to the granulator, which keeps the HDPE in the polymer pool. Better than landfill.
Do you pay more for documented food-grade or rare cages?
Yes. Verifiable food-grade prior contents and uncommon cages such as Mauser SX-EX or Greif Foodcert can increase the per-tote payout when the condition checks out on inspection.