... Yeah, that's right. Thousands of the suckers.
This isn't strictly related to water, but most of the rain barrel discussions are here.
I'm trying to find a steady supply of 5 gallon barrels that I can divert from the waste stream. (I want free ones.) Here's what I do with them.
Some of them get 4 1.5" holes drilled in the bottom. These get buried up to their chins in long rows, 2 feet apart. Others get corners cut out of them, putting 4 drain holes (Corner: Where side meets bottom. Hold pail at 45 degree angle, and make one pass over a 3/4" dado head set 1" high. The net effect is a chunk taken out of both the side and the bottom.
I plant trees in these pots, then set them in a half buried pot. Net effect: Roots are protected in winter, and they can't blow over.
By diverting pails from the landfill, I do my bit from the municipality.
Currently most of the pails are oil, hydraulic fluid, transmission fluid or soap. None of these are particularly harmful. They get rinsed with warm soapy water. The water eventually gets dumped on the compost pile, and the bacteria munch it up.
I'm looking for a better supply. My local dump can provide about 50 per month, mostly farmers dropping them off.
Ideas where to look?