| Recycled Plastic Barrels are a great product that | | | | Once you've sourced your recycled plastic barrels |
| can easily be transformed to collect and store | | | | it's then just a case of turning them into a rain |
| rainwater for your garden and other outdoor | | | | barrels. This is a relatively easy exercise and |
| uses. Collecting and Storing rain water in plastic | | | | comes down to sourcing just a few common |
| rain barrels is also a great way to go green and | | | | items from your local hardware store. Basically, |
| help take the pressure of local water storages, | | | | the items you'll need to add to you plastic barrel |
| especially in areas that are affected by drought. | | | | to turn it into a rain barrel are an inlet, an outlet |
| Collecting and storing rain water also has the | | | | and an overflow. You can also easily add a water |
| effect of turning your garden greener which adds | | | | level indicator and a stand to raise it off the |
| value to your home and garden and also provides | | | | ground. If you do decide to add a stand though, |
| extra water for vegetable gardens that thrive on | | | | make sure it is secure enough support the weight, |
| rain water because of its purity and lack of | | | | as 55 gallons of water weighs about 460 lbs. |
| additives and contaminants. | | | | The last item you will need to complete the set |
| An even more effective way to be greener again | | | | up will be a downspout diverter. You may want to |
| though, is to use recycled plastic barrels. Used | | | | source this item first, as the type of downspout |
| plastic barrels come ready made to be easily | | | | diverter you choose will have a bearing on how |
| turned into rain barrels and in most cases it's just | | | | you go about installing the inlet to your rain barrel. |
| a case of cleaning them out and they're then | | | | These can be easily sourced over the internet |
| ready to store rainwater. It is important first to | | | | and through retail outlets. It also pays to do some |
| check what was originally in the barrel. Some | | | | research before you make your purchase as |
| plastic barrels are used to store chemicals and it | | | | downspout diverters come in many shapes and |
| may be quite difficult remove all traces, so be | | | | sizes that do have some specific good points and |
| fussy about the where you source your barrels. | | | | not so good points. |
| So by recycling, you're basically cutting out the | | | | Another point to take into consideration is, |
| process of turning one plastic product into another | | | | because you're making your rain barrel out of |
| and instead just reusing it in more or less its | | | | what might basically be an old drum, you may |
| present form. | | | | also want to cover it with a screen or hide it |
| Recycled plastic barrels are fairly easy to source | | | | behind some bushes. This though, may add to the |
| and once upon a time they were an item that | | | | overall cost of your rain barrel and hence the |
| was given away for free. These days though | | | | money you've just saved may then get spent |
| with the increased popularity of rain barrels and | | | | trying to hide your rain barrel. In some respects |
| with recycled plastic barrels being such an obvious | | | | this then tends to defeat the purpose of making |
| choice to transform into rain barrels, used plastic | | | | a rain barrel from a recycled plastic barrel. |
| barrels are now a lot harder to source for free. | | | | Therefore to overcome this, consideration should |
| The good news is though, that these types of | | | | be given to your choice of downspout diverter. |
| barrels can still be sourced relatively easily and | | | | There are some downspout diverters that do |
| inexpensively. | | | | allow you to place your rain barrel some distance |
| To source recycled plastic barrels the internet is | | | | from the downspout. This may be a preferable |
| one of the best places to start. Also food | | | | option as you can then position your rain barrel in |
| processing plants, salvage yards and garage sales | | | | a more discrete position without the need to |
| are all an option. I sourced mine from a livestock | | | | spend the money you've just saved on a screen |
| supply outlet that used them to store grain. So | | | | or some other means of hiding your rain barrel. |
| there are many places that do use them to store | | | | So there you have it. I was easily able to convert |
| food products and then discard them when no | | | | two old plastic barrels into some rain barrels. It's a |
| longer required. The most important point though, | | | | great way to save a few dollars and it's also a |
| is to know what it contained in its past life so you | | | | great way to use recycled plastic barrels without |
| know it's not contaminated. If you're unsure what | | | | turning them into a completely different plastic |
| it contained beforehand it's probably best not to | | | | products. |
| use it. | | | | |