Food, industrial,
rinsed, retired.
Different reconditioners use different grade terms, often loosely. Here’s the four-tier system we’ve used since 2014, what each one actually means, what we’ll let it ship out for, and what we won’t.
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Grade 1 · Food Grade
Edible oils, syrups, concentrates, brewing, dairy adjuncts, cosmetic ingredients, water bottling.
Anything with documented prior contents outside the food/beverage/cosmetic stream. No exceptions.
Reconditioned on the segregated food line. NSF-certified gaskets. Triple RO rinse. Prior-contents documentation kept on file.
Grade 2 · Industrial Grade
Cleaners, detergents, ag chemicals, adhesives, lubricants, non-hazardous industrial liquids.
Food contact. Pharma first-fill. Listed RCRA hazardous waste.
Full 14-step reconditioning cycle. Standard EPDM gaskets. Cage repainted, re-stenciled.
Grade 3 · Rinsed Only
Non-contact storage, secondary containment, water storage for non-potable uses, repurposing projects.
Food. Pharma. Anything regulated. Anything where prior contents matter.
Triple rinse only. No gasket replacement. No cage repaint. The bottle is clean — but you take it with what’s left of its prior identity.
Grade 4 · End-of-Life
Material recovery only. We don’t resell Grade 4. The bottle is past its working life.
Reuse, period.
Separated, granulated, routed to closed-loop polymer streams. Cage and pallet to steel mill.
Which grade fits which application.
| Application | Grade 1 · Food | Grade 2 · Industrial | Grade 3 · Rinsed | New tote |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Edible oil, syrup, brewing | Yes | — | — | If first-fill required |
| Cosmetic ingredient carrier | Yes | — | — | If sealed-supply required |
| Cleaner / detergent | — | Yes | — | — |
| Adhesive / sealant | — | Yes | — | — |
| Ag chemical | — | Yes | — | — |
| Pharma first-fill | — | — | — | Yes |
| Electronics-grade reagent | — | — | — | Yes |
| Non-potable water storage | — | OK | Yes | — |
| Rain catchment, irrigation | OK | — | Yes | — |
| Aquaponics | Yes | — | — | — |
| Livestock trough | OK | — | Yes | — |
| RCRA listed hazardous | — | — | — | By contract w/ hazmat shop |
Words people use around totes.
- Prior-contents declaration
- A signed document, by tote, stating what the tote held last. Required for our food line.
- Chain of custody
- The audit trail from the prior owner through reconditioning to next owner. Documented per tote.
- Segregated line
- A physical wash line that handles one grade exclusively. Food-grade line at our yard never sees industrial product.
- NSF certification
- Third-party certification of food-contact compatibility. We use NSF-rated gaskets on the food line.
- Granulation
- Mechanical grinding of HDPE bottle into resin pellets for material recovery.
- EoL
- End-of-life. The point at which a tote is no longer reusable and routes to material recovery.
- Triage
- Our intake decision tree. Routes each tote to reuse, repurpose, or recovery within 48 hours.
- Serial trail
- The per-tote record from intake to outbound. Auditable on demand by serial number.
The ones people ask after their first reply.
Can a Grade 2 tote become a Grade 1 tote later?
No. Grade is a function of prior-contents history, not just current cleanliness. A tote whose history includes industrial service can’t be re-graded as food-grade no matter how thoroughly we wash it.
Can I tour the food-grade line?
Yes. Schedule a visit, bring eye and ear protection, we’ll walk it. Most QA auditors who tour leave reassured.
Do you split grades within a single shipment?
Yes — common on standing orders. Food on one pallet, industrial on the next. Bill of lading separates them clearly.
What grade are your repurposed (rain barrel, aquaponics) goods?
Repurposed for non-contact storage are Grade 3 sourced. Repurposed for aquaponics or anything food-adjacent are Grade 1 sourced.
Need a specific grade?
Tell us your application and we’ll point at the right grade — and tell you honestly if reconditioned isn’t the right answer.