such as corn syrup, maple syrup or molasses Petrochemical products, such as oil, gas, solvents, detergents, or adhesives Rainwater Used IBCs are the basic building blocks for many home aquaponic systems Paints and industrial coatings Pharmaceutical compounds, ingredients, intermediates, batch products Healthcare related items, solid commodities, bio-waste, waste materials Vineyards, wine fermentation, spirits production Agriculture, nursery, greenhouse uses and chemicals Many water, waste water, process water applications across industry sectors Used by land owners to support firefighting activities Acquisition and disposal Intermediate bulk containers may be purchased or leased. Bar code and RFID tracking systems are available with associated software. An IBC can be purchased as a new unit (bottle and cage), a rebottled unit (new bottle and washed cage) or a washed unit (both bottles and cages have been washed). A washed unit is typically less expensive, with the new unit being the most expensive, and the rebottled unit near the mid-point. In many cases, a customer may purchase a mix (“blend”) of these types of units under a single price, to simplify the accounting. The customer's choice of unit primarily depends on either actual or perceived sensitivity of their product to contamination, and the overall ability to clean their specific product type from the bottle. Those with a lower contamination risk are prime candidates for the washed units. With the exception of products produced in "clean rooms" (GMP - good manufacturing practices), the decision of a washed over a new is usually a matter of availability or appearance. An IBC can be leased in a closed-loop (using only the IBCs which were used by a given customer and washed or rebottled) or the most common open-loop system (where the origin of the rebottled or wash unit is flexible). For plastic composite units, the trip lease has largely been replaced by a blended purchase. Single use flexible IBC's such as those used for aggregate transportation in the construction industry are a major source of plastic pollution. Most aggregate suppliers do not offer a scheme to refund a deposit upon return of empty IBC's & (in UK) they are frequently fly tipped & seen abandoned roadside. Safety When exposed to fire as in a warehouse event, plastic IBCs containing combustible or flammable liquids can melt or burn fairly rapidly, releasing their entire contents and increasing the fire hazard by the sudden addition of combustible fuel. Rigid plastic (as high-density polyethylene)