Our Tote Cleaning Process
Our totes go through a thorough cleaning process with a chemical treatment on the inside, machine-automated powerwashing internally and externally, automated drying, and inspection. Below are a few images of our prcoess.
This is the model of robot used to move totes between cleaning stations and automate the entire cleaning process.
Double-stacked totes with stickers cleaned off and a chemical treatment inside waiting on the line to be picked up by the robot.
Tote with chemical treatment inside being shaken and turned in all directions to ensure the treatment reaches all parts of the tote's interior.
Tote being placed on another conveyer belt after being cleaned inside and out by custom-built pressure-cleaning machines.
Totes on the drying line with air nozzles lowered in after being vacuumed and checked for any excess water.
This is the dryer used to ensure complete drying before inspection so that nothing is missed.
The airduct that allows multiple totes to be drying at once.
Totes on the conveyer belt drying with the air nozzles lowered in.
Totes during final inspection being checked for anything not up to our standard.
Tote Repair and Recycling
If any totes are not up to national and international standards, we make sure to repair our totes to like-new condition or recycle anything we can. Here are some examples of repairs we may make and what we recycle.
This is an example of a cage with a bent bar and a broken bolt. This bar will be bent back into place and the bolt with be replaced.
This is a cage with a bent out corner. In this cage the weld has been broken. In cages with broken welds on corners, we will scrap those cages and the bottles will be transferred to new cages.
Another cage with a bent corner. However, this bending is not as severe, and if the weld is still intact, this corner will simply be bent back into place.
A cage with a minor bending on the bottom support frame, this frame will likely be able to be bent back into place and repaired.
This is a cage with a bent center bar. This cage will be discarded and scrapped.
This is a cage with an acceptable center bar. This center bar is not bent and this cage will pass inspection.
This is an example of an acceptable bottle without staining. This bottle would pass final inspection.
A tote with severe staining on the bottom. This bottle will be cut up and recylced, and the cage will be used for another clean bottle if it meets standards.
An example of a stained bottle from the outside.
A severly stained bottle viewed from the outside.
A damaged cage. This cage would be scrapped as it is beyond repair.