I frequently see people selling these on craigslist and facebook. Where do they even get them? Because I don’t see any actual company selling them. They’d be useful for collecting water and planting in. So where is the originating source, lol.
We bought a couple off of Facebook. The guy pulled up with the longest trailer I have ever seen in my life completely full of them. He said they contained olive oil originally. Never got the full story or his connection to the same. He was stopping at multiple cities in my state for drop offs. Quite a lucrative business depending on what he had to do to get them.
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If I can find the originating source (I’m thinking they’re free or very cheap), I would cut them in half and make planting pots for my fig trees. I don’t understand why pots are so expensive. A 15 gallon pot costs about $20. I don’t know how anyone can grow food at these prices.
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I’m just sick and tired of all these prices. Even the used market has become expensive. In the past, a used item was something you wanted to get rid of and you were selling it for a couple of dollars. Nowadays the used stuff is more expensive than the brand new stuff, if you factor in longevity and warranties and ease of getting them (go to the store, pay for the item, bring it back, no hassle, no wasted time).
Hunting for deals is not worth it anymore.
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Try car washes, I’ve gotten 35 or 55 gallon barrels (white) for $5, $10 if I remember right.
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I get removeable screw-top or sealed-top two bung barrels from a company locally. (McCutcheons if you want to see the type of stuff they make) Barrels had a variety of products in them- olives, pickles, fruit puree in screw-top, syrups etc in sealed ones. Same company has 4-gallon buckets which held fruit puree, seems to be a standard size for that.
I am sure there are many places to find the same items near you. I know of several places with an hour or two to get similar barrels, or 275 gallon totes from glucose syrup.
I pay $1 for buckets, $20 for barrels, when they have them. A packaging company near here sells.for more, but always -has- more.
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Around here people used to get them from the Pepsi bottling plant. I think they were how the concentrated flavorings were delivered.
Typically what he had to do was go get them, and buy a truckload at a time, maybe commit to doing that frequently. Businesses don’t want to deal with someone buying just a couple, unless they are set up for retail somehow.
a new #25 pot is $7.65 near me. this is from a wholesaler who also sells retail as long as you can get there during 9-5 m-f. I have about 40 of these, they’re super thick and should last about forever in my climate. find someplace like this if you can. this might be a benefit of living in one of the major nursery areas in the US though
Wow, you are in heaven, 
.
You’ll be even sicker soon, then, as all the trillions of money printing finally
shoves inflation into high gear once people aren’t locked down anymore.
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International grocery stores. All of the medium and larger international grocery stores in carry them. Look above the upper shelves on the walls or ask for them. There a common item any ware you have a sizable international population.
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Hospitals often have plastic barrels which came with cleaning agents in them. A good washing and they are good to go. Last time I got some, they were free for the hauling away.
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In many places you can still find good free/cheap stuff, especially from people cleaning out garages or inherited homes. We bought several of these cleaning fluid barrels and paid to get them delivered. I’m planning to half fill them with water and use them in a future poultry coop. I hope they’ll be too slick for snakes to climb. I think it’s good to see these secondary markets of people who scrounge stuff to sell. It makes it a little harder to find cheap stuff but it means folks are being entrepreneurs and hopefully fewer things are ending up dumped or in landfields. I feel like renewing my vows every time my spouse comes home with a 5 gallon bucket found on the side of the road.
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I sell these from time to time. We’re an industrial laundry and contained non toxic laundry chemicals. Honestly it’s not worth the hassle dealing with flakes. I wish my chemical supplier would just pick them up.
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They do sell them online, but mostly for commercial use. The delivery is too expensive. What you get on Craig’s list are usually recycled after use by commercial companies.
https://www.uline.com/Product/Detail/S-10757BLU/Drums/Plastic-Drum-55-Gallon-Closed-Top-Blue?pricode=WB0298&gadtype=pla&id=S-10757BLU&gclid=Cj0KCQjwjPaCBhDkARIsAISZN7R8qNgHstwpCAHMC_ez623SdvPv2ID2XQQnNhdT02HOkW2aysfrTtwaAma1EALw_wcB&gclsrc=aw.ds
What size barrel is typically available at your hospital source? I have multiple friends and family I can probably ask to keep a lookout for me.
Pretty much every kind of bulk liquid is sold in those blue barrels. Soap, food additives, cleaners, oils, etc. around here they sell for $10-$20 on Craigslist, I’ve gotten a few from the local car wash.
There is a gentleman selling them not too far from my house, but for free I’d definitely take more.
I’ve seen 25 gallon, 40 gallon, and 50 gallon plastic barrels. Just ask someone if they have barrels hanging around. I saw 20 or 30 of them at the hospital and asked. Was told to get all I wanted.
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