We are pleased to announce that not only do we now supply brand new 1000ltr clear IBC’s but also black tanks.

These tanks are food grade and suitable for all uses including the storage of drinking water, fish, light sensitive products and cider!

The cages are ‘donor’ cages from tanks that could no longer be reconditioned. The cages are ‘A’ grade and appear new.

We are so very excited to announce that Toucan is now stocking brand new 1000ltr IBC bottles supplied in ‘A’ grade reconditioned cages.

Its a sad fact that not all IBC’s returned to us can be reconditioned. Some are damaged or stained beyond repair or re-use. These bottles, once granulated are recycled to make a range of new plastic items.

Very often however the cages from these damaged bottles are perfectly good. To avoid any further cost to the environment, these cages become donors to the brand new IBC bottles. Simple! Far cheaper than purchasing a brand new complete unit but just as good. Everyones a winner!

After seven years recycling IBC’s, we have supplied IBC’s for a wide range of interesting end purposes. Besides the obvious uses such as rain water harvesting and the storage of fuels, some of the more interesting and bizarre uses are shown below:

Aquaponics – by cutting an IBC in half, the bottom half is used as a pond for fish, whilst the upper half is turned upside down, with salad type plants feeding off of the nutrients provided by the fish poo!

Ballast – IBCs will weigh over a ton when full of water, making them the perfect easy way to transport blocks of ballast for staging and marquee’s. Our IBC’s have been used at some of the UK’s largest events including Glastonbury and the London Marathon.

Hot Tubs – Yup, its true – we have supplied numerous IBC’s that are to be converted into hot tubs!

Cider Making – every year just after the apples are harvested we have numerous requests for food grade IBC’s. The best part of this is that the cider makers often give us a couple of bottles!

Fish Ponds – although normally temporary, our fish grade IBC’s are perfect for storing fish whilst ponds are cleaned out or maintenance is carried out.

Feed source for poly tunnels – here at Toucan Environmental, we are lucky to also run a chilli farm. Based in Upton Cheyney, we use IBC’s to irrigate our plants with the added benefit of being able to add nutrients to each IBC making the supply of feed to the plants very easy.

Slow motion explosions – yup, the BBC once bought one of our IBCs to show the effect of an explosion in water!

Giant Wormery – worm poo is amazing stuff and an IBC full of worms digesting garden and kitchen waste provides an incredibly rich organic fertiliser.

Log Store – with the bottles removed, the cages make incredibly handy log stores.

Eco houses – we have been involved in a number of eco house projects where human waste is treated within IBC’s.

Pheasant Feeders – if you see a IBC in a wood it is almost certainly being used as a feeder for pheasants!

Organic Nettle Fertiliser – cut the top off of an IBC. Three quarter fill it with fresh nettles – new growth ones are better. Weight the nettles down with blocks and cover so as no nettles remain dry with water. Prepare for an almighty stink but reap the rewards of a super nitrogen rich fertiliser.

Here at Toucan we are always happy to discuss your needs even if they are wayward! Please feel free to call Alex at any time on 07817 844802 to discuss – the more wacky the better.

With the freezing conditions nearly upon us, and with Toucan Environmental being based on a farm, we know all too well about the problems faced by famers with exposed pipes, who often struggle to get water to their livestock on freezing mornings.

Here at Toucan, we also struggle to clean IBC’s when the weather is freezing as our yard is in an old silage clamp, and the water supply is fed via exposed pipes.

Naturally we have had to find ways to keep our water flowing throughout the winter, and its damn lucky that as IBC suppliers we have the perfect answer!

To keep your water supply running, simply attach a hose to the tap, and allow a trickle of water to run into an IBC overnight. This way the supply remains constant. The water stored in the IBC can then also be used to water the animals at a later date.

Be aware however that although the bulk of the water in the IBC will not freeze, the tap at the bottom where the amount of water is limited is prone to freezing. We lag our outlets, and also have a hairdryer handy for really cold mornings. Never try and force the tap open however as this will damage the tank.

Hope this info helps!

Following the recent 3 months of exceptionally dry weather and with adverts in the Farmers Weekly, we have seen a huge number of farmers making the most of our black IBC’s for water storage.

At a time of the year when young crops are susceptible to drought, or indeed in fields that do not have a water supply, our black IBC’s can be the difference between success and failure. A number of farmers were extremely grateful for the rapid turn around and supply of our tanks during the recent lambing season.

Black IBC’s are not only a answer to dry summers – they are also perfect for general rainwater harvesting, resulting in reduced water bills, as well as for use in freezing winters when normal water supplies may well have frozen.

So if you are a farmer, a small holder or indeed a keen gardener, this is the time to purchase your tanks with the knowledge that should we hit a drought year you will at least have a bulk quantity of water to keep going.

To find out more please do feel free to either call us on 07817 844802 and speak to Alex, or e-mail us through the website. Cheers and happy rainwater harvesting!

To be honest, most of our customers are UK based, however following a significant order for 100s of 1000ltr IBC’s we have recently supplied bulk quantities to the African continent!

The tanks are being used in a water sanitisation process which should significantly improve the lives of many thousands of people. Nice to know our products are helping people both home and away.

As the dry weather continues and the grasslands turn arid, we have been swamped with orders for black IBCs!

Our black IBCs – of which we continue to have good stocks – are absolutely perfect for harvesting rainwater. Naturally we always see a rise in orders at this time of the year but this year has been exceptional.

Black IBCs are not only a answer to dry summers – they are also perfect for general rain water harvesting, resulting in reduced water bills, as well as for use in freezing winters when normal water supplies may well have frozen.