Video of the Week: How to Build a 110 Gallon Rain Barrel

Rain barrel is extremely useful to save water and money. Obviously it is not suitable to drink. But you can do many other ways with reserved rain water; such as water the garden. Rain water barrel is easy to make, and according to the videomaker even a child could do it. Check out the video and make your own 110 gallon rain barrel by simply using two 55-gallon plastic drums (or used plastic barrels).

In any case you don't want to bother yourself making a rain barrel, yet you feel the need to have one, simply order a ready-made rain barrel here.

Uploaded by bigdogx3 on 9 Aug 2009

Build a rain barrel for about $25 in parts. Only takes a few hours and so easy a child could do it!

5 Secrets to Cheap Shipping

Cheap shipping can be easily conducted. All you need to know is the five secrets to cheap shipping and a diligent research.

Ship promptly

Not only will the clients love you for fast deliveries, but you will also take the benefit of cheaper shipping. While one-day shipping is highly convenient, it costs a lot more. Shipping with normal rates takes slightly longer (2 or 3 days, depending on how far the destination is) but it is also a lot more economical. One instance is USPS Priority Mail, where your shipping can reliably be delivered within two or three days.

Reuse packaging materials, if any

There is no point to waste a packaging cardboard when you receive a package, especially if it still looks good. Keep it and reuse it the next time you want to ship something. It goes the same with bubble cushion and other packaging fillers. Reusing these materials will save you money.

Research and compare shipping prices

It's always a good idea to research and compare shipping prices, even when they come from the same shipping company. For example, sending a group of items weighing less than 10 lb. could be cheaper in one single big packaging than in two smaller ones. Price comparison from one shipping company to the others is also a great thing to do. Every company has different unique offers. Take the best of each company and send packages with the company that offers the cheapest option for that type of shipping.

Time is money, so save time

Why spending all your valuable time queueing at the post office if you can do other better things? Choose off peak hours to send your package. Or better, find a service where it picks up your package for a small fee. This will be ultimately useful when you send packages frequently.

No insurance unless absolutely necessary

Unless what you are shipping is easy to break or of a valuable good, there is no point of buying an insurance for your package. Of course if the client requests it, you should buy the insurance on his expense.

It's not hard to ship inexpensively. You just need to be smart and do a good research from time to time to compare shipping services and costs.

Weekly Trivia on Plastic: Plastics and Americans

Did you know that....

1. In 1976, an average American had 1.6 gallon of bottled water in a year. 30 years later in 2006, one person consumed just over 28 gallons per year.
2. That means 167 bottles of water were consumed by each person in the year of 2006.
3. From that consumption, only an average of 38 bottles were recycled per person. That is about merely 23 percent of the whole bottled water consumption.

Did you also know that....

1. 5 plastic bottles could be recycled into Polyester T-Shirt, like this one.
2. 25 recycled plastic soda bottles could be recycled into one fleece jacket.
3. 35 plastic bottles could be made into a sleeping bag or 1-square yard of polyester carpet.

So what about recycling more and drinking less bottled water? That should do everyone a huge favor in the future.

Stackable Totes for Transporting and Storing

Stackable totes are highly versatile in industries, especially in handling materials. One or more totes can be used for both transporting and storing purposes, providing easy-to-handle and spacious containers for certain materials. Two important features of stackable totes are described as follows.

Strong and durable

Most totes are made of HDPE. This type of plastic resin is among the strongest and the most durable one can find in terms of safe containers to use. It's also reusable and recyclable.

Stackable for optimum space eficiency

Not only that totes are able to hold more materials than normal plastic containers, but the stackable characteristic is also an added value to this storage product. Again, the sturdy HDPE plays important role, as it allows one tote to be stacked on top another. As a result, you will save space as these totes are arranged vertically.

If you plan to use a storage for a long time, stackable totes are more economical than normal cardboard boxes. Not to mention that they can also provide better security for your materials against rough handling or accidental puncture.

Some additional kits are available to our 70 gallon and 120 gallon stackable totes. These include tote skid, leg kit, dip tray kit, and plumbing kit for single, double and triple stackable totes. Contact our representative to get recommendations of what kits could be best fit for your totes.