How to Recycle Industrial Packaging Materials
Reusable industrial packaging: steel and plastic drums, IBC totes, wooden pallets, FIBC bulk bags, and the corrugated, stretch film, and strapping that come off a production line. Reconditioning for reuse and recycling into raw material are two different, both real, industries.
Quick answer
Hazmat-rated drums and totes don't need triple-rinsing before reconditioning; that's pesticide-container language from a different rule. Reconditioners want a drip-dry, RCRA-empty container under 40 CFR 261.7, plus a signed empty-certification form, and they don't accept hazardous waste. Reconditioning (reusing a container as a container) is a measured, separate industry from recycling (melting it into raw material): about 20.3 million steel drums were reconditioned in the US in 2023 alone.
- Recyclable
- Yes
- Typical value
- No consistent, dated per-unit price could be verified for drums, totes, or pallets; value depends heavily on condition, size, and local reconditioner demand. Clean plant corrugated and dry stretch film typically trade at a premium to mixed household-stream cardboard and film, but current dealer-specific figures weren't available to cite here.
- 1Empty to drip-dry, RCRA-empty condition (40 CFR 261.7) before sending for reconditioning; a viscous-material heel beyond the allowed limit can make the whole container hazardous waste
- 2Sign an empty-certification form for the reconditioner; most plants require one and will reject or return a container that doesn't meet it
- 3Sort drums, totes, and pallets by type and material before pickup; steel drums, plastic drums, and IBCs go through different reconditioning lines
- 4Check FIBC (bulk bag) supersacks against ISO 21898 before reusing them; reuse only within a closed-loop system with the same product and application, remove all foreign matter, keep statically held dust under 4 ounces, and replace the liner
- 5Reject FIBCs with lift-strap damage, contamination, dampness, mold, wood splinters, or unreadable printing rather than reusing them
- 6Keep clean plant corrugated separate from general mixed cardboard; single-source production cuttings trade as a distinct, higher grade than ordinary curbside OCC
- 7Bale clear LDPE stretch film separately, dry and on its own; warehouse film recycles well because it's single-resin and generated clean in one place, unlike mixed household film
- 8Check UN certification markings before assuming a container can be reused for hazmat; reconditioning to reuse specification doesn't automatically preserve UN certification
- Industrial container reconditioners
- Pallet recyclers and pooling services
- FIBC/bulk-bag reuse and recycling programs verified to ISO 21898
- OCC/corrugated and film balers, on-site or through a broker
Drum reconditioning is a real, measured industry: RIPA's 2023 survey counted roughly 20.3 million reconditioned 55-gallon steel drums, 3.1 million reconditioned plastic drums, and 4.6 million reprocessed composite IBCs in the US that year, across 80 reporting locations. RIPA's own distinction is worth keeping: reconditioning prepares a used container for reuse as a container; recycling converts it into raw material. The correct empty standard for reconditioning is drip-dry, RCRA-empty condition (40 CFR 261.7), not triple-rinsing, which is FIFRA pesticide-container language and doesn't apply here. Reconditioners don't accept hazardous waste; a hazardous waste company may send RCRA-empty drums on for reconditioning, but the reconditioner itself isn't a hazardous waste handler. For hazmat containers specifically, DOT rules under 49 CFR 178 govern UN marking and 49 CFR 173.28 governs reuse and requalification; food-contact packaging additionally falls under FDA rules at 21 CFR 174-178.
This is the strongest business-only case in the category, because there's no household equivalent to any of it. FIBC bulk bags built to ISO 21898 have a documented closed-loop reuse standard, complete with top-lift testing and multi-year record-keeping. Wooden pallets have real, dated recovery numbers: NWPCA and Virginia Tech data from 2016 (published 2018) put pallet recovery at 95 percent of usable material, with roughly 341 million recycled pallets supplying about 40 percent of that year's annual pallet supply alongside 508 million newly made ones. Clean plant corrugated trades as a distinct, higher grade than ordinary curbside OCC precisely because it's segregated at the source in a way no household stream can match.
Accepted
- Steel and plastic drums, drip-dry / RCRA-empty
- IBC totes and composite bottles
- Wooden and plastic pallets
- FIBC bulk bags meeting ISO 21898 reuse criteria
- Clean production corrugated and dry, clear stretch film
Not Accepted
- Containers still holding hazardous waste - reach RCRA-empty condition first; reconditioners don't accept hazardous waste
- FIBCs with lift-strap damage, dampness, mold, or contamination
- Single-use containers not designed for reuse or reconditioning
Estimated value: No consistent, dated per-unit price could be verified for drums, totes, or pallets; value depends heavily on condition, size, and local reconditioner demand. Clean plant corrugated and dry stretch film typically trade at a premium to mixed household-stream cardboard and film, but current dealer-specific figures weren't available to cite here.
- Chemical residue from previous contents, if not brought to RCRA-empty condition first
- Lead-based paint on some older steel containers
Do drums need to be triple-rinsed before reconditioning?
No. Triple-rinsing is FIFRA pesticide-container language. Reconditioners work to a drip-dry, RCRA-empty standard (40 CFR 261.7) plus a signed empty-certification form.
What's the difference between reconditioning and recycling?
Reconditioning prepares a used container for reuse as a container. Recycling converts it into raw material. They're separate, both real, industries with separate processing lines.
Can FIBC bulk bags be reused indefinitely?
No. ISO 21898 sets the reuse standard: closed-loop use with the same product and application, foreign matter removed, statically held dust under 4 ounces, liner replaced, and rejection for lift-strap damage, contamination, dampness, mold, or unreadable printing.
Is my plant's clean cardboard worth more than curbside cardboard?
Usually, yes. Clean, single-source production corrugated cuttings trade as a distinct, higher grade than mixed curbside OCC because they arrive already segregated and uncontaminated.
Does UN certification survive reconditioning?
Not automatically. Continued UN certification depends on meeting DOT reuse and requalification requirements under 49 CFR 173.28 and marking rules under 49 CFR 178, not simply on the container looking intact.
- How to recycle Machining Coolant & Cutting Fluids
- How to recycle Industrial Solvents & Degreasers
- How to recycle Industrial Batteries & Power Systems
- How to recycle CNC Machine Tools & Cutting Tools
- How to recycle Industrial Plastic Resin Waste
- How to recycle Industrial Adhesives & Sealants
- How to recycle Industrial Cleaning Chemicals
- How to recycle Manufacturing Scrap Metal
- How to recycle Industrial Textiles & Fabrics
Recycling centers that accept Industrial Packaging Materials
RecycleFind lists recycling centers that accept industrial packaging materials. Open a listing for hours, contact info, and directions.