The Mid-Atlantic's leader for industrial container recycling and reconditioning
Some containers should never go back into circulation. Kelly Drums provides tote and drum destruction service across NJ and the surrounding Mid-Atlantic, permanently rendering steel drums, plastic drums, fiber drums, and IBC totes unusable while recovering the material for recycling instead of landfill.
Our family has run this business for more than four decades, and our team handles every step from pickup through documentation.
Pickup and Destruction Built Around Your Schedule
Used drums and industrial drums stack up fast. Yards fill, dock space disappears, and containers that carry liability sit longer than anyone wants them to. We coordinate pickup around your operation's needs and manage evaluation, pre-cleaning, and processing once your containers reach our facilities. Metal drums, poly drums, fiber drums, and intermediate bulk containers all follow a documented path through drum reconditioning, drum recycling, or destruction depending on condition and prior contents.
You get one point of contact and one partner for the full container life cycle. No chasing separate companies for pickup, industrial drum disposal, destruction, and waste management.
Drum Destruction Services
Our drum destruction service takes containers permanently out of service. Every drum is inspected on arrival, pre-cleaned where required to meet wastewater standards, then processed through specialized shredders and grinding equipment. Steel drums are shredded or crushed for steel recovery. Plastic drums are ground into granulated material. Fiber drums are processed as fiber. Once a container leaves that equipment, it cannot be refilled, resold, or reintroduced under your label.
Destruction covers the container styles most industrial plants run through daily. That includes open head drums in steel at 30 gallon and 55 gallon sizes, tight head drums in steel at 55 gallon and 85 gallon sizes, 30 and 55 gallon poly drums in both configurations, and 17 gallon and larger fiber drums used for dry goods and powders. We also process gaylord boxes and industrial pallets.
After every job we issue a Certificate of Destruction. That document provides proof that specific containers were permanently removed from circulation, which protects your business if a branded container is ever questioned later.
Tote Destruction Services
Intermediate bulk containers take more equipment and more yard space than drum work. A 275 or 330 gallon tote is a composite unit, so IBC tote destruction begins by separating the HDPE inner bottle, the steel cage, the valve, and the pallet base. The bottle is granulated, the cage is processed for steel recovery, and the pallet base is handled by material type. Nothing leaves as a usable vessel.
If totes are consuming dock or yard space, we can build a bulk pickup plan rather than moving a few units at a time.
Please note that IBC totes are handled at our River Avenue facility in Camden. Drum pickup and processing also run through our Howell Street facility in Camden and our National Highway facility in Pennsauken.
Optional Reconditioning Services
Not every container needs to be destroyed. Drums and totes that are structurally sound and free of problem residue are often better candidates for drum reconditioning, which is more cost effective than replacement and uses considerably less energy than manufacturing a new container.
Reuse ahead of waste disposal is the first question we ask about any load. We evaluate each load on intake and can route serviceable units into reconditioning while destroying the rest. Material compatibility should always be reviewed before any container returns to service, and our team can help confirm specifications.
Additional Support Services
RCRA-Empty Container Handling
We accept HAZ drums and totes that meet the RCRA empty definition, meaning all waste has been removed using commonly employed practices such as pouring or pumping and no more than one inch of residue remains. Drums that held acute hazardous waste must be triple rinsed with a compatible solvent, such as a caustic solution where appropriate, to qualify. Compressed gas containers are RCRA empty at atmospheric pressure, and large quantities or larger containers may fall under a percentage by weight measure instead.
Hazardous waste containers should stay properly labeled with markings prominently displayed through transport so our intake team can evaluate them accurately. Residual material is captured and shipped offsite through trusted environmental partners for proper disposal. We do not accept bulk hazardous waste or containers still holding free liquid. Non hazardous materials move through standard intake. If you are unsure whether your empty drums qualify, contact our team before pickup.
Compliance and Regulatory Support
The Environmental Protection Agency sets the RCRA standards that determine when a container can be handled as material rather than hazardous waste, and federal law and applicable DOT requirements govern safe transport of what leaves your site. In New Jersey, the Department of Environmental Protection regulates solid and hazardous waste handling, and transporting used drums in the state carries registration requirements for the hauler.
For hazardous waste disposal and hazardous waste removal work, appropriate manifests are required for transportation under NJDEP regulations. Our team can walk through what your specific shipment needs so the paperwork matches the material.
Recycling Consulting
We take in steel, poly, and fiber drums, gaylord boxes, and IBC totes. If you have other containers that fall outside what we can process, our service team helps identify a responsible route for disposal instead of leaving you to solve it alone.
Data and Reporting
Certificates of Destruction, weight records, year end recycling totals, and diversion figures are available for compliance recordkeeping, audit support, and environmental reporting. Tell us what your reporting cycle requires and we will build the report around it.
Why Companies Choose Patrick Kelly Drums
01
Environmental Responsibility in Practice
Destruction and environmental protection work together when the material is managed properly. Shredded materials are sorted for recycling to minimize landfill waste. Unusable steel drums are crushed or processed for steel recovery. Plastic drum recycling sends granulated drum and tote inner tank material into reuse streams such as plastic pipe manufacturing.
In 2022 we sold more than 5 million pounds of recycled plastic, and each year we recondition or scrap roughly 10 million pounds of steel that would otherwise reach a landfill through improper disposal. That is resource conservation measured in truckloads, and it lowers the environmental impact of every container you retire.
02
Consistent, Professional Processing
Our crews handle industrial containers all day, every day, to consistently high standards. That experience shows up in safe handling, accurate sorting, and processing that respects DOT and EPA requirements for container transport and disposal. Chemical manufacturers, food producers, pharmaceutical operations, distribution centers, and environmental waste companies all bring us different challenges, and the process holds up across them.
03
Communication You Can Plan Around
Routine tote destruction, high volume container destruction programs, and one time cleanouts get the same responsive communication from quote through completion. You will know when the truck is coming and what happens to your containers after it leaves. That difference is what keeps customers with us for decades.
Where We Serve
Patrick Kelly Drums operates four locations. Our Camden, NJ facilities sit on River Avenue and Howell Street, our Pennsauken, NJ facility is on National Highway, and our corporate office is in New Hope, PA.
We serve New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Delaware, and the wider Northeast, with regular pickup routes through Camden, Cherry Hill, Trenton, and Newark, NJ, Philadelphia, Reading, York, and Bridgeport, PA, Wilmington, DE, and Baltimore, MD. If your plant sits inside that footprint, we can usually build a pickup schedule that fits your production calendar. Operations searching for drum destruction service near you in the Camden and Philadelphia area are typically within a routine route from one of our three New Jersey facilities.
The Sustainability Promise.
At Patrick Kelly Drums, we are committed to minimizing our environmental impact and promoting sustainable practices in all aspects of our business. We continuously invest in innovative technologies and processes to optimize our operations and reduce our carbon footprint. We also actively engage with our community and industry partners to promote sustainable waste management practices.
Take Those Containers Off Your Site for Good
Destruction closes off a category of risk that is difficult to control any other way, and it keeps recoverable steel and plastic out of the landfill. Our disposal facility can review your volume and recommend the right mix of pickup, compliant drum disposal, destruction, recycling, and reconditioning for steel drums, plastic drums, fiber drums, and IBC totes.
If you are interested in a quote or want to talk through your container needs, connect with our team today.
Frequently Asked Questions
What does RCRA empty mean for hazardous waste drum disposal?
The EPA considers a drum RCRA empty when all waste has been removed using commonly employed practices and no more than one inch of residue remains. Drums that held acute hazardous waste must be triple rinsed instead. Compressed gas containers are RCRA empty at atmospheric pressure. Containers must meet this standard before pickup.
Do you accept hazardous waste containers that previously held hazardous materials?
Yes, provided they are RCRA-empty. We process properly emptied containers and capture residual material for offsite disposal through trusted environmental partners. We cannot accept bulk hazardous waste or containers still holding free liquid. Contact our team and we will review your specific containers with you.
What is a Certificate of Destruction and why does it matter?
It is written documentation that your containers were destroyed and permanently removed from circulation. Companies use it for audit files, customer requirements, and liability records. A valid certificate is often the only proof available if a branded container later surfaces somewhere it should not.
Should my drums be destroyed or reconditioned?
That depends on structural integrity, prior contents, and your own brand requirements. Serviceable containers are usually better candidates for reconditioning, which costs less and has a lower environmental impact. Contaminated, damaged, or branded units go to destruction. We evaluate each load on intake.
What happens to the material after destruction?
Shredded materials are sorted for recycling to minimize landfill waste. Steel drums are crushed or shredded for scrap recovery. Plastic drums and tote inner bottles are granulated and sold into reuse streams such as plastic pipe manufacturing. Waste that cannot be recovered is contained and shipped offsite.
Can you handle large volume destruction pickups?
Large volume pickup is a core part of what we do. We regularly service manufacturing plants, distribution centers, and environmental waste companies with heavy container turnover. Tell us your typical volume and location and we will put together a pickup schedule and quote.