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Author Topic: Food Grade Buckets Question  (Read 10181 times)

Offline Hoot Owl Lane Bees

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Food Grade Buckets Question
« on: March 21, 2013, 12:19:41 am »
A friend can get me all the food grade buckets I want for FREE. :-D The catch is they had pickles in them. :? Can I rinse them with Clorox so I can use them for HONEY?
Thank You
Jim

Moots

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Re: Food Grade Buckets Question
« Reply #1 on: March 21, 2013, 12:31:12 am »

Offline bailey

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Re: Food Grade Buckets Question
« Reply #2 on: March 21, 2013, 12:31:39 am »
I wouldn't. I have a gallon glass pickle jar that has been empty and washed for 3 years.
Can still smell pickles when I take the top off.
Bailey
most often i find my greatest source of stress to be OPS  ( other peoples stupidity )

It is better to keep ones mouth shut and be thought of as a fool than to open ones mouth and in so doing remove all doubt.

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Re: Food Grade Buckets Question
« Reply #3 on: March 21, 2013, 12:36:44 am »
I wouldn't. I have a gallon glass pickle jar that has been empty and washed for 3 years.
Can still smell pickles when I take the top off.
Bailey

This was my original thought...A food grade 5 gallon bucket is $3.97 at Lowes...How many do you need?  Is it really worth chancing it?

Offline deknow

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Re: Food Grade Buckets Question
« Reply #4 on: March 21, 2013, 08:46:28 am »
I may be wrong, but I have a hard time believing that Lowes has food grade buckets.

We live in Leominster (home  of Plastican) and asked a former exec about the food grade vs non food grade.  The difference (in their case) is how the bucket is handled after it is molded...the same plastic, the same mold...but are the workers wearing gloves?  Are the buckets stacked/stored in such a way as to not pick up contamination?

So, I'm sure the plastic is the same plastic as the "food grade" buckets...but I doubt our health inspectors (city or state) would accept them as food grade.

deknow

Offline Intheswamp

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Re: Food Grade Buckets Question
« Reply #5 on: March 21, 2013, 09:43:14 am »
But deknow, that would mean all the dishes and cookware at places like walmart, Sears, etc., could not be considered "food safe", too...right?  I believe it has a lot to do with plastic purity and what type of mold release compound is used and...everything to do with how they're manufactured rather than "after the fact".

Lowe's has white plastic buckets that come with a "FOOD GRADE!" sticker attached to them, so there must be something that allows them to wear that badge.  They also have white buckets that do not have the sticker.  The problem I'm having is coming up with good lids for the buckets...all that I've found at Lowe's has been the little short-lipped blue lids but they don't seem to seal very well.

Ed
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American blood spilled to protect the freedom and peace of people all over the world.  320,000 USA casualties in WWI, 1,076,000 USA casualties in WWII, 128,000 USA casualties in the Korean War, 211,000 casualties in the Vietnam "conflict", 57,000 USA casualties in "War on Terror".  Benghazi, Libya, 13 USA casualties. These figures don't include 70,000 MIA.  But, the leaders of one political party of the United States of America continue to make the statement..."What difference does it make?".

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Moots

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Re: Food Grade Buckets Question
« Reply #6 on: March 21, 2013, 09:48:27 am »
I may be wrong, but I have a hard time believing that Lowes has food grade buckets.

We live in Leominster (home  of Plastican) and asked a former exec about the food grade vs non food grade.  The difference (in their case) is how the bucket is handled after it is molded...the same plastic, the same mold...but are the workers wearing gloves?  Are the buckets stacked/stored in such a way as to not pick up contamination?

So, I'm sure the plastic is the same plastic as the "food grade" buckets...but I doubt our health inspectors (city or state) would accept them as food grade.

deknow

Unless I'm missing something....Yeah!  I'd say you're wrong.   :)

Encore Plastics 5-Gallon Food Grade Bucket

As I said, they're $3.97....Their 5 Gallon Buckets not labeled as food grade are $2.78.  Link

Offline oliver

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Re: Food Grade Buckets Question
« Reply #7 on: March 21, 2013, 09:56:54 am »
All plastic products are stamped, designating there use. I think usda website has these listed. Triangle with a #1 inset pete below,, triangle, #2 inset hdpe below, are designated for food use, there are others. The material they are constructed from, how much heat and  abuse it will stand  determines this..

Offline Intheswamp

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Re: Food Grade Buckets Question
« Reply #8 on: March 21, 2013, 10:28:52 am »
I'm not too sure about that.  I believe the stamp on the bottom is basically a recycling mark telling recyclers which group of plastics that it can be recycled in.  The triangle does point to different plastics, though, as you stated with some plastics being better than others.  A bucket marked "2" I don't believe is necessarily "food grade" because of that marking.  If it's not expressly marked "food grade" then it isn't....though the bucket may very well be safe to use.  Your choice.  ;)

Ed
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American blood spilled to protect the freedom and peace of people all over the world.  320,000 USA casualties in WWI, 1,076,000 USA casualties in WWII, 128,000 USA casualties in the Korean War, 211,000 casualties in the Vietnam "conflict", 57,000 USA casualties in "War on Terror".  Benghazi, Libya, 13 USA casualties. These figures don't include 70,000 MIA.  But, the leaders of one political party of the United States of America continue to make the statement..."What difference does it make?".

"We can't expect the American People to jump from Capitalism to Communism, but we can assist their elected leaders in giving them small doses of Socialism, until they awaken one day to find that they have Communism."..."The press is our chief ideological weapon." - Nikita Khrushchev

"Always go to other people’s funerals, otherwise they wont come to yours." - Yogi Berra

Offline danno

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Re: Food Grade Buckets Question
« Reply #9 on: March 21, 2013, 10:43:37 am »
I get all my buckets with lids from local bakeries.   They get things like frosting and jelly filling in them. 

Offline rbinhood

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Re: Food Grade Buckets Question
« Reply #10 on: March 21, 2013, 11:04:07 am »
A bucket is a bucket.....the important thing is it should be clean and sanitized before being used to store anything.  It doesn't matter what material the bucket is made from.
Only God can make these two things.....Blood and Honey!

Moots

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Re: Food Grade Buckets Question
« Reply #11 on: March 21, 2013, 11:12:39 am »
A bucket is a bucket.....the important thing is it should be clean and sanitized before being used to store anything.  It doesn't matter what material the bucket is made from.

I don't think that's true!

Some may find this link helpful: How to Identify Food Grade Buckets

Offline Kathyp

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Re: Food Grade Buckets Question
« Reply #12 on: March 21, 2013, 11:34:49 am »
don't know about Lowes, but HD has food grade buckets.  that's where i got my last.  they are tagged food grade. 
Someone really ought to tell them that the world of Ayn Rand?s novel was not meant to be aspirational.

Offline Joe D

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Re: Food Grade Buckets Question
« Reply #13 on: March 21, 2013, 11:48:33 am »
Yes, Lowes and several others have them.  Walmart has them cheaper, same bucket except doesn't have Lowes on the side, it's just plain white.  I hate to help wall world, another story, but if you sell or put up your honey in jars their Main Stay brand are about the cheapest I've found.  They are also smooth, easier for labels.




Joe

Offline Intheswamp

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Re: Food Grade Buckets Question
« Reply #14 on: March 21, 2013, 11:55:17 am »
FRED's has the "Harvest" line of jars and they have three smooth sides.  I'm not sure about cost comparison with Wallyworld's jars, though.

Ed
www.beeweather.com 
American blood spilled to protect the freedom and peace of people all over the world.  320,000 USA casualties in WWI, 1,076,000 USA casualties in WWII, 128,000 USA casualties in the Korean War, 211,000 casualties in the Vietnam "conflict", 57,000 USA casualties in "War on Terror".  Benghazi, Libya, 13 USA casualties. These figures don't include 70,000 MIA.  But, the leaders of one political party of the United States of America continue to make the statement..."What difference does it make?".

"We can't expect the American People to jump from Capitalism to Communism, but we can assist their elected leaders in giving them small doses of Socialism, until they awaken one day to find that they have Communism."..."The press is our chief ideological weapon." - Nikita Khrushchev

"Always go to other people’s funerals, otherwise they wont come to yours." - Yogi Berra

Offline Kathyp

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Re: Food Grade Buckets Question
« Reply #15 on: March 21, 2013, 12:37:00 pm »
had not thought to look at wal-mart.  don't have one to close.  i like them a lot so i don't mind doing business with them   :-D
Someone really ought to tell them that the world of Ayn Rand?s novel was not meant to be aspirational.

Offline beeman2009

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Re: Food Grade Buckets Question
« Reply #16 on: March 21, 2013, 01:36:47 pm »
Could use them for feeders if you open feed. Good for storage of old comb until you melt it. Also use for watering trees and other plants in summer. Lots of other uses for free buckets. Make good swarm catchers as well. :-D
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Offline Hoot Owl Lane Bees

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Re: Food Grade Buckets Question
« Reply #17 on: March 21, 2013, 02:23:13 pm »
Thank You for the info.  :th_thumbsupup:I will start checking some of the areas suggested (bakeries and such).
Jim

Offline Bush_84

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Re: Food Grade Buckets Question
« Reply #18 on: March 21, 2013, 02:34:25 pm »
Sorry if this diverges a bit from the op, but it does relate to pickles.  Is it ok to he old pickle jars for feeding?  I can understand not storing honey in a bucket smelling of pickles, but an old pickle jar should be ok right?
Keeping bees since 2011.

Also please excuse the typos.  My iPad autocorrect can be brutal.

Offline danno

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Re: Food Grade Buckets Question
« Reply #19 on: March 21, 2013, 04:25:02 pm »
I get all my buckets with lids from local bakeries.   They get things like frosting and jelly filling in them. 
maybe I should have added there FREE

 

anything