I am looking to build a rotating compost bin that requires the use of a 55 gallon plastic drum. Someone is selling them second hand locally, he says they previously contained a film processing/developing chemical that was rated on the MSDS as non-toxic and non-poisonous, and states that prolonged contact, internal and/or external, at full concentration is an "irritant." He also states that they have been thoroughly rinsed. I would like to use this for compost to be used in a vegetable garden. Do you think it would be safe enough, or should I look for a food-grade barrel? Would potentially use them for rainwater collection for watering flower and/or vegetable beds if they are safe enough and he has more than one. Thanks!
It would be fine just when you get the baral wash it out. I have a "I think" 66-90 galon barral that I use for composting. it sets uprite and does not move + it has many worms, so I am composting + breeding worms= rich garden soil! I got my baral from a vidame plant, second hand too. it was holding some kind of wite stuff in it so I washed it and it looked new and then I added dirt + worms/keep the soil moist and now I throw compost in it to feed the worms and I put the dirt in pots for the plants :) 100% natural! " the plant onley uses the barals once so they thro out tons of barals. they said there worth less so I asked them if I could have some they were like sure! so I really helped by recycleing the barals {reduce,reuse,recycle} so I got a +5:))))))))))"
I would not use anything with a synthetic origin, especially since it will react to the heat from the composting material.
the plastic drum also may not be cleaned by a rinse. Depending on the materials it may have absorbed the chemical or the chemical may have changed the properties of the plastic barrel. Consider the #7 labelled plastic drinking bottles that we have heard so much about the last few months.
They say now that when you #7 labelled plastic drinking bottles you havt to drink them every day for many years to ger harmed from them?????
Quite possibly, I was using the possibility of leaching of chemical substances as an example, I am not a plastics scientist by a long shot.
That's the main reason mineral water has a shelf life...its usually a year or two then the chemical starts leaching, the article I read said that how warm the bottle got had a lot to do with how long it took to start leaching. This is why people were concerned about plastic plant pots as they can get very hot in summer. You need to really know the chemical name of whatever was stored in it before you can determine whether rinsing with water will clean it sufficientely, it might need to be rinsed in pure alcohol for e.g or some other solvent.
I don't actually think it will, but no-one seems to know what type of plastic, plastic plant pots are made of so some people are panicking!
I just looked at one of my 4 inch pots (a typical plant pot) and it is a 5, not a 7, which has BPA, so it probably not a concern. :)