Residue on new plastic trash can?

[janedoe]

We bought small heavy duty Rubbermaid trash cans with removable lids. I want to put everything that a rat might eat or nest with in them, including animal food, grass seed and dirt. There's a light residue all over them, not like something spilled on them but like it's a manufacturing side effect. It smells very faintly like WD-40.

Does anyone have any idea of what this is? I don't want to contaminate whatever I put in them. I can put liners in the bottom but even the lids have this stuff on them. Is it part of the plastic? I thought for a second that it might be some kind of lubricant so that they don't stick together when they stack them.

[SunDance]

We bought small heavy duty Rubbermaid trash cans with removable lids. I want to put everything that a rat might eat or nest with in them, including animal food, grass seed and dirt. There's a light residue all over them, not like something spilled on them but like it's a manufacturing side effect. It smells very faintly like WD-40.

Does anyone have any idea of what this is? I don't want to contaminate whatever I put in them. I can put liners in the bottom but even the lids have this stuff on them. Is it part of the plastic? I thought for a second that it might be some kind of lubricant so that they don't stick together when they stack them.

I don't remember having a residue on ours...and between garbage and yard waste purposes, we have quite a few (some bought just a couple of months ago).

But we used to have a rat problem courtesy of the shed next door...and we had rats eat through heavy plastic trash cans that we had in our own sheds. (nothing bigger was getting into the sheds...had to be rats)

I'd wash them thoroughly before putting food into them.

[Snowshoe]

I'd contact the manufacturer. I don't know about cans but some garbage bags are treated with fungicide. You should NEVER put food in a garbage bag (I refused wild leeks that the person had put in a garbage bag while picking). Cans are meant for longer term use so you'd wonder, what's the point of treating them, it'd wear off? But still ....

[smartrock]

I've felt some plastic items that I agree, feel like they have a silicone spray or something on them. I recently bought a Rubbermaid pitcher for drinks that also had that slippery feel, and it didn't seem to wash off, but it was obviously sold for food purposes. I'd be interested in knowing also if Rubbermaid treats things with something. For trash cans, it wouldn't have to be food grade, if there's anything there. I'd keep the food/seed/ or whatever in the original bags inside the cans anyway. That's what I do with dog food.

[POPTOP]

Have not bought a new big rubber trash can in a long time. Do know that we had one in the shed for bird seed and mice chewed into it. Know it was mice because I saw one. Maybe a rat did the dirty deed and the mice took advantage of it.

If you've ever tried to extract one can from another at the store, you know how hard it can be with the suction they cause. Maybe the manufacturer is applying something to the surface. I'd be very weary of what it is.

[janedoe]

I'd contact the manufacturer. I don't know about cans but some garbage bags are treated with fungicide. You should NEVER put food in a garbage bag (I refused wild leeks that the person had put in a garbage bag while picking). Cans are meant for longer term use so you'd wonder, what's the point of treating them, it'd wear off? But still ....

What's in/on trash bags?

[Snowshoe]

I don't know which fungicide it is and it's not on all but some say they are treated. And then you have to worry about the ones that are treated but don't say so.

I just googled and found nothing definitive. Lots of warnings, one says it uses Febreeze, some use arsenic.

[janedoe]

Thank you. I'm wondering if I should just order metal cans and use the ones I bought for the other stuff. Or recycling.

[SunDance]

Thank you. I'm wondering if I should just order metal cans and use the ones I bought for the other stuff. Or recycling.

I've gotten a small lidded metal can that had "stuff" on it...that'll be a wash, too, just in case.

[Kleb]

Could it be a mold release agent? You may have got one of the first ones after it was used.