Plastic Buckets Are Everywhere

I have a dislike of plastic buckets from way back before I had an issue with plastic in general. It started back when I was still on the farm back in Canada. Water expands when it freezes. Plastic buckets crack when they are full of freezing water.

I can understand why the plastic bucket has become the default choice. They are lightweight and inexpensive. I only know a of a few niche markets where other buckets still rule. The horsey crowd all know about rubber buckets. They are durable and safe and they don’t crack when they are left in the freezing cold with water in them. A metal bucket is the only choice for emptying ashes from the fireplace or wood stove.

Plastic buckets are on my mind because I think I am going to have to buy one tomorrow. Plastic dominates the market to such a degree that it hard to find any alternatives.

One great alternative to buying a new plastic bucket is to find sources of used buckets. The fair trade coffee roastery that I worked for saves up buckets and buckets of used coffee grounds for a vegetable farmer to use as compost. They get empty vegetable oil containers from local restaurants. Empty 20 liter ice cream containers can come in handy too, although they don’t usually have a handle. I don’t usually highlight the ‘reuse’ portion of the three Rs, but it’s a lot more viable than reducing in this case.