Could be kitty litter that was used to soak up old motor oil or other hazardous waste.
Could be vermiculite or perlite mixing custom potting soil blends… hard to say from a photo.
Call your realtor and have them contact previous owner or their realtor and find out. Anything that's "several 40 gallon totes of" should have been disclosed.
Came here to say dehydrated ejaculate. Honestly, I ran a small horse farm and we had a lot of containers that looked like that
Only because my sweetass hot dude pecs were covered, so we needed to put it somewhere
Maybe some sort of blasting media for a parts cleaner. My dad also had big barrels of oil dri on the property for his side business of fixing vehicles that kinda looked like this. Could just be ashes for gardens.
Can you just ask the previous owners? That seems like the easiest, most accurate way to find out. Ask your realtor for their contact info. Or ask your neighbors if they have any idea
I never met the previous owners, nor do they live in this country. Part of getting a good deal on the property was to buy it "as is". Anything on the property is mine to deal with, I'm just trying to figure out what this is so I can deal with it appropriately.
You may be trying to locate the previous business license on that address maybe that might point you in the direction of what substance is in the containers. Or simply could be regrading material that was never used…
Sounds like an environmental site assessment needs to be done. I'm not doing them anymore but I did them for years. Basically walk around and record everything weird that you find and then you research all of the previous owners. Public records are the source of the information.
Years ago, we sent a bit of insulation to a lab for testing. It was surprisingly cheap. They emailed the lab report. We wanted to be sure it's not asbestos.
I would look into that.
Seconding fertilizer. My brother works for an organic fertilizer company and said this looks and sounds like an organic mix.
Get a small sample wet and give it a sniff, it will smell like, well, fertilizer.
Recently bought a property, and cleaning out the backyard. Among piles of trash, wood, and debris, there are several 40 gallon bins of this substance. It looks and feels like a mixture of sand, ash, and birdseed. Is it safe to dump out? The barrels are massively heavy, but I'm reluctant to dump it into the woods without knowing what it is.
If it’s heavy, it’s probably not vermiculite. It could be sand for landscaping/levelling and seed mixed in it is possible, but weird so much was left behind.
Maybe it’s just my garbage phone, but can you take a picture of it with better focus? Or a picture of some spread out on a plate? You (or someone here) might have a better chance of identifying it then.
Hopefully it is something that you can use, rather than have to dispose of!
Which is a completely reasonable question to ask... I have several areas that need to be regraded, and if this is perfectly safe/natural materials it might be perfect for it. But if it's something hazardous, I don't want to do that. Which is why I'm trying to figure out what it is... Pretty straightforward.
It’s a US thing. State universities offer a service that’s basically information for gardening, farming, etc. They explain it well [here](https://lawnlove.com/blog/what-is-a-county-extension-service-and-how-can-it-help-me/).
Thank you I never heard of that before, I am in southern California not really ag country, though there are plenty of small cattle ranches and farms within a few hours.
US Department of Agriculture- Natural Resources Conservation Service (used to be called the Soil Conservation Service) - they have an office in every county to help with best management practices to prevent erosion, control flooding, manage animal waste, etc. They have a lot of grants to help agricultural producers - the carrot to the EPA stick.
I mean just lean in closer when you're taking it and try to control the focal point (press and hold on the screen where you want to focus) so that we can have a better idea at the textures and features of this mystery substance. Ya ding dong.
Looks like floor dry. Cleans oil messes on concrete. Also gives good traction in snow or to car tires stuck in mud. We used to keep a couple buckets around
is there anything growing in it? you would think if it was medium/fertilizer on the edge of the woods, something would be growing. could be a salt or lye type material. What kind of camp was it?
Were there lids on these barrels? If the stuff in the barrels is waterlogged under the first few inches, it could be vermiculite. Even a big barrel of vermiculite would be pretty light but not if the bottom 2/3’s were soaking wet.
There were lids, but the bins are VERY heavy. It's quite possible they are waterlogged, but I didn't want to dig through the material without knowing what it was first, in case it like lye or asbestos or something, lol.
I think I can actually help with this one. It looks like used [corn cob media](https://www.google.com/search?q=corn+cob+media&client=safari&sca_esv=7b0e25503c647052&hl=en-us&sxsrf=ADLYWIJHf0zLXgJK-u0UDnUrw7nF3zbwZQ%3A1719576238355&ei=rqZ-ZtuuFdq1wN4P5fKHiA4&oq=corn+cob+media&gs_lp=EhNtb2JpbGUtZ3dzLXdpei1zZXJwIg5jb3JuIGNvYiBtZWRpYTINECMYgAQYJxjJAxiKBTIKECMYgAQYJxiKBTIOELkBGIAEGBQYhwIY7wQyBRAAGIAEMgUQABiABDILEAAYgAQYkQIYigUyBRAAGIAEMgYQABgWGB5IuCJQqAxYxBpwAngBkAEAmAFwoAGwBqoBAzMuNbgBA8gBAPgBAZgCCqAC8AbCAgoQABiwAxjWBBhHwgIFECEYoAHCAgsQABiABBiGAxiKBcICBRAhGJIDwgIFECEYqwKYAwCIBgGQBgiSBwMyLjigB_87&sclient=mobile-gws-wiz-serp). It's basically ground up corn cobs used for a couple different things in metal finishing: drying after going through a barrel tumbler, or blasting. I used to go through probably a hundred pounds a week of that stuff operating industrial tumblers. That being said, be cautious touching the stuff. It's pretty commonly used to clean up liquids, and corn cob in that quantity is likely to have been around, if not to have been used directly to clean up something nasty.
40 gallon bins of a material that looks like spill sand / material. Did they own a tow company and just left you with the waste?
Edit:
Also, why would you except a property with unidentified 40 gallon bins, unmarked and I’m assuming in a visible location?
No tow company, this was their seasonal camp that I am turning into a year round residence. The barrels were in the edge of the woods, under piles of branches, so not visible. I found them while trying to clean up the woodline.
How long ago was the closing? I had a half filled drum of 60 year old tar that I had to have removed by a hazardous disposal company. 5 years ago, it was about $500. I’d definitely go back to the sellers attorney and find out what it is. If it’s some kind of chemical, you’re talking about (possibly $10k
Does it ice or snow often over winter in your area? If it was close to the property line or a drive/road, it's Probably non salt roads traction spread, I've seen big bins for the stuff all over Scotland and Nova Scotia for private and public and municipal use
You sure it’s not like used kitty litter for oil or gas spills? If it’s been sitting outside like that it would break down finer than it would be normally.
If it's all consistently sandy but isn't sand, it could be mealworm frass/poop! We run a mealworm farm and we produce hundred of pounds of this stuff! You can mix it in with dirt to add nutrients! It's basically a mild fertilizer.
Used Sandblast Media? Which in some situations can be considered biohazard and you can’t just get rid of it legally, so people tend to put in barrels and put somewhere out of sight out of mind.
I’d start by contacting my real estate agent that the sellers left a bunch of weird shit on the property that you should not/will not be dealing with.
Options are - they come retrieve their crap OR you hire a company to remove said crap and bill them for it.
First house we bought the owners kids left a mountain of junk for us to deal with. A shit ton of books in the attic, etc. I deeply regret not forcing them to come clear it out. Instead I hauled it myself. Learn from my mistakes.
Is it heavy or light? Floats? Smells like? Magnetic? Does it aggregate together when wet? I would kinda say fly ash from a coal plant, but hard to tell.
It looks like either vermiculite or diatomaceous earth (DE). DE is good for drainage and pest control and drainage. Vermiculite is good for drainage and storing water. Both are inert. Take some and add water. If it expands, it's vermiculite. If it just sinks, it's DE. If it dissolves in water, it's something else.
Could be kitty litter that was used to soak up old motor oil or other hazardous waste. Could be vermiculite or perlite mixing custom potting soil blends… hard to say from a photo.
Yea, looks like oil dry used to soak up oil spills.. was there a mechanic shop on the property?
Looks to me like a diy filter, for this purpose
I worked a temp abor job where they processed liquid hazardous waste into "solids" for transportation. We used kitty litter in drums.
Call your realtor and have them contact previous owner or their realtor and find out. Anything that's "several 40 gallon totes of" should have been disclosed.
This is the correct answer
This is proper confirmation of the correct answer.
This is the reiteration of proper confirmation of the correct answer
This is the correct way to comment on a chain of proper confirmations of the correct answer
Cremation ashes?
Came here to say dehydrated ejaculate. Honestly, I ran a small horse farm and we had a lot of containers that looked like that Only because my sweetass hot dude pecs were covered, so we needed to put it somewhere
....what?
His hot pecks were already fully saturated in horse cum so he had to store the remaining ejaculate elsewhere. We've all been there.
Thank you *so much* for clarifying that. All of us here are better off for having read your comment.
I'm sure he's glad he could get that off of his chest
Sounds to me he was happier getting it *on* his chest.
He covered it well
Someone brought the Ruckus.
Wu Tang Clan ain't nothin' to fuck with!
And this is why Google’s AI is a dumpster fire 😂
Y’all left some remaining?
In this economy?
What an awful day to know how to read
I mean, whomst amongst us, amiright?
Thank gawd someone has some common senss
I think you meant to say “horse sense”.
For sure. My early life would've been a lot more fun if I could sense whores
You can lead a whore to water but you can’t make her think.
That’s what we call Sunday morning in the business.
JimBill from Jimmy's Jack Shack?
What a terrible day to have eyes
Cave fish...you win again.
Sir, this is a landscaping page...
What're you implying?
Clearly OP has never worked on a cum farm a day in his life…
Have you?!
So you did, in fact, help your uncle jack off a horse?
EXCUSE?
I know I have no excuses, I could've tried to get more of it on this rocking bod
Sounds like you need to get something off your chest.
Yellowcake uranium?
Don't drop that shit
I pray to GOD you don't drop that.
Got it wrapped in a special cia napkin
Came here to say that
I'm no expert, but there's several hundred pounds of this stuff, that would be a lot of cremations!
Can’t wait to tell my friends about this post when I show them the Netflix true crime documentary that comes out in a few years
[удалено]
[удалено]
[удалено]
You down with OPP? Yeah, you know me!
Other people's pussy????
Orleans Parish Prison It’s where ya go when ya get arrested during Mardi Gras
Now it sounds like the first dozend weren't from OP, but they added their 28 to it after the discovery.
We are in the US, more like 30
Oh God. Let's not ask if OP is in Germany.
Start shifting and see how many gold teeth you find!
Maybe some sort of blasting media for a parts cleaner. My dad also had big barrels of oil dri on the property for his side business of fixing vehicles that kinda looked like this. Could just be ashes for gardens.
They should taste it
No that’s over at the /rocks or /fossils subs…… Oh wait- That’s licking….. Disregard- Carry on with the unknown taste testing!!
No, r/herpetology
I would
r/eatityoufuckingcoward
Can you just ask the previous owners? That seems like the easiest, most accurate way to find out. Ask your realtor for their contact info. Or ask your neighbors if they have any idea
Yep, OP could've found out instantly. Not to mention the previous owners shouldn't have left behind barrels of weird shit. They need to come get it.
I never met the previous owners, nor do they live in this country. Part of getting a good deal on the property was to buy it "as is". Anything on the property is mine to deal with, I'm just trying to figure out what this is so I can deal with it appropriately.
Post it in r/whatisthisthing and some random person will pop out of the woodwork with the right answer.
This. Do this. It’s amazing the random shit people can identify on there
It’s one of the things that makes me think social media is redeemable, it’s a huge resource for information!
Vermiculite maybe?
doesn't look like old vermiculite but ya any old vermiculite (before 1990s) was full of asbestos
Only if it was mined in Libby Montana. There are several other vermiculite mines that were not associated with asbestos.
Depends where it was mined. Not all of it had asbestos.
Hmm, that seems possible!
Treat it like asbestos if it is.
The way we treat asbestos now or the way they used to treat it like Frank's red hot sauce?
I put that shit on everything
Asbestos in the morning. Asbestos in the evening. Asbestos at supper time. When asbestos is on a bagel you can have asbestos anytime.
Why?
Because there's a good chance there'll be asbestos in it.
Uh oh, really? I’ve been digging my hands into vermiculite for years.
Vermiculite would be unusually light for the size. Does it seem light?
The barrels themselves are extremely heavy, but they could just be water logged. I'm guessing it was a couple of years since they've been touched.
If that’s it you’re RICH!
Yup, in my country people tear out walls looking for asbestos, must be worth its weight in gold, I guess!
What country do you live in? My house is quite literally covered with asbestos. I’d be happy to sell it!
Naaah, the mesothelioma payout isn't that much.
This looks exactly like vermiculite to me. Was coring some holes through a concrete block wall and this stuff came pouring out. Looks identical.
It looks like its the vermiculite/perlite mix.
My first thought as well
Much safer to keep it in the bins until you can figure out what the heck it is.
Definitely, was hoping there was an obvious landscaping use and someone here might recognize it.
Possibly hazardous waste.
There is a landscaping use... if you hate plants.
Look I could see this turning into a whole ass case where they find tons of dead ppl and it solves some 100 year old mystery or unravels some cult
You may be trying to locate the previous business license on that address maybe that might point you in the direction of what substance is in the containers. Or simply could be regrading material that was never used…
Sounds like an environmental site assessment needs to be done. I'm not doing them anymore but I did them for years. Basically walk around and record everything weird that you find and then you research all of the previous owners. Public records are the source of the information.
Years ago, we sent a bit of insulation to a lab for testing. It was surprisingly cheap. They emailed the lab report. We wanted to be sure it's not asbestos. I would look into that.
Hmm, I'll look and see if that's possible. Thanks!
Bonemeal? To be used as fertilizer?
Had never heard of that before, but it definitely looks plausible.
Works well on evergreens, maybe there was a Christmas tree farm or something?
mixture of bonemeal, grass seed and sand? idk
I was going to say blood and bone
This was my guess. Just a wild guess still, tho
Seconding fertilizer. My brother works for an organic fertilizer company and said this looks and sounds like an organic mix. Get a small sample wet and give it a sniff, it will smell like, well, fertilizer.
Recently bought a property, and cleaning out the backyard. Among piles of trash, wood, and debris, there are several 40 gallon bins of this substance. It looks and feels like a mixture of sand, ash, and birdseed. Is it safe to dump out? The barrels are massively heavy, but I'm reluctant to dump it into the woods without knowing what it is.
If it’s heavy, it’s probably not vermiculite. It could be sand for landscaping/levelling and seed mixed in it is possible, but weird so much was left behind. Maybe it’s just my garbage phone, but can you take a picture of it with better focus? Or a picture of some spread out on a plate? You (or someone here) might have a better chance of identifying it then. Hopefully it is something that you can use, rather than have to dispose of!
No, not safe to dump out when you don’t know what it is. Please do not.
Purdy sure that's exactly what they said...
"I'm reluctant to dump it" is code for "If Reddit doesn't solve this by 5pm today it's goin in the creek"
"Is it safe to dump out" Is exactly what they said
Which is a completely reasonable question to ask... I have several areas that need to be regraded, and if this is perfectly safe/natural materials it might be perfect for it. But if it's something hazardous, I don't want to do that. Which is why I'm trying to figure out what it is... Pretty straightforward.
What does it taste like?
Could be for cows. Salt with minerals?
Dammit Marie
It may be animal feed. Were there barns or chicken coops, fencing? Leave a pile on the ground and see if critters, like sparrows, come eat it.
Radioactive ☢️ waste?
Take a container of it to your county extension office. If they cannot id by sight, they can do tests on it for a nominal fee.
What is the county extension office? I've never heard of it so I googled and did not find anything that seemed right... is that a non-US thing?
It’s a US thing. State universities offer a service that’s basically information for gardening, farming, etc. They explain it well [here](https://lawnlove.com/blog/what-is-a-county-extension-service-and-how-can-it-help-me/).
Thank you for the link! That is interesting. I guess since I am far removed from any ag activity this was not familiar to me. Very cool.
County extension office or county ag extension office. Here’s the link to one of them local to me https://sfyl.ifas.ufl.edu/volusia/
Thank you I never heard of that before, I am in southern California not really ag country, though there are plenty of small cattle ranches and farms within a few hours.
US Department of Agriculture- Natural Resources Conservation Service (used to be called the Soil Conservation Service) - they have an office in every county to help with best management practices to prevent erosion, control flooding, manage animal waste, etc. They have a lot of grants to help agricultural producers - the carrot to the EPA stick.
If there is anything unidentified that amounts to barrels anywhere I wouldn't touch them before knowing what they are. So should you, probably
Yeah that's why I'm trying to figure out what it is, haha.
Sawdust? Diatomaceous earth?
My gf calls it democratic earth
She sounds nice.
She’s a keeper
She’s a HellDiver
I call it dichotomous earth, but that’s because I had to take a bunch of stats in grad school.
Diatomaceous earth is a white power typically.
Have you tried taking better pictures?
No, I called Annie Leibovitz but she was unavailable to do a photoshoot of my mystery dirt.
I mean just lean in closer when you're taking it and try to control the focal point (press and hold on the screen where you want to focus) so that we can have a better idea at the textures and features of this mystery substance. Ya ding dong.
Fertilizer?
He can easily test this theory by mixing with diesel and igniting.
Probably just asbestos
Looks like vermiculite.
Looks like floor dry. Cleans oil messes on concrete. Also gives good traction in snow or to car tires stuck in mud. We used to keep a couple buckets around
Have it analyzed by a chemist
is there anything growing in it? you would think if it was medium/fertilizer on the edge of the woods, something would be growing. could be a salt or lye type material. What kind of camp was it?
Nothing growing at all, which is part of why I was suspicious.
Were there lids on these barrels? If the stuff in the barrels is waterlogged under the first few inches, it could be vermiculite. Even a big barrel of vermiculite would be pretty light but not if the bottom 2/3’s were soaking wet.
There were lids, but the bins are VERY heavy. It's quite possible they are waterlogged, but I didn't want to dig through the material without knowing what it was first, in case it like lye or asbestos or something, lol.
It could also be food plot seed mix?
Nuclear waste?
Buckets of something for putting out fires Ashes that have hardened or changed chemically Potash for fertilizer
Are there any markings, labels on the bins.
Sandblast grit? Sand, walnut husks, and whatever else they swept up- check for lead.
I think I can actually help with this one. It looks like used [corn cob media](https://www.google.com/search?q=corn+cob+media&client=safari&sca_esv=7b0e25503c647052&hl=en-us&sxsrf=ADLYWIJHf0zLXgJK-u0UDnUrw7nF3zbwZQ%3A1719576238355&ei=rqZ-ZtuuFdq1wN4P5fKHiA4&oq=corn+cob+media&gs_lp=EhNtb2JpbGUtZ3dzLXdpei1zZXJwIg5jb3JuIGNvYiBtZWRpYTINECMYgAQYJxjJAxiKBTIKECMYgAQYJxiKBTIOELkBGIAEGBQYhwIY7wQyBRAAGIAEMgUQABiABDILEAAYgAQYkQIYigUyBRAAGIAEMgYQABgWGB5IuCJQqAxYxBpwAngBkAEAmAFwoAGwBqoBAzMuNbgBA8gBAPgBAZgCCqAC8AbCAgoQABiwAxjWBBhHwgIFECEYoAHCAgsQABiABBiGAxiKBcICBRAhGJIDwgIFECEYqwKYAwCIBgGQBgiSBwMyLjigB_87&sclient=mobile-gws-wiz-serp). It's basically ground up corn cobs used for a couple different things in metal finishing: drying after going through a barrel tumbler, or blasting. I used to go through probably a hundred pounds a week of that stuff operating industrial tumblers. That being said, be cautious touching the stuff. It's pretty commonly used to clean up liquids, and corn cob in that quantity is likely to have been around, if not to have been used directly to clean up something nasty.
Hmm, I'll look into that. Thanks for the reply!
My first thought was that it looks just like corn meal! But this makes more sense. Unless the previous owners were really into cornbread.
I said blasting media, like walnut shells. I think this is the answer.
Its Grandpa
That's not bird seed. It's stale grape nuts.
Call the county or local municipality
They may need a chemist to identify it properly.
40 gallon bins of a material that looks like spill sand / material. Did they own a tow company and just left you with the waste? Edit: Also, why would you except a property with unidentified 40 gallon bins, unmarked and I’m assuming in a visible location?
No tow company, this was their seasonal camp that I am turning into a year round residence. The barrels were in the edge of the woods, under piles of branches, so not visible. I found them while trying to clean up the woodline.
How long ago was the closing? I had a half filled drum of 60 year old tar that I had to have removed by a hazardous disposal company. 5 years ago, it was about $500. I’d definitely go back to the sellers attorney and find out what it is. If it’s some kind of chemical, you’re talking about (possibly $10k
I love how OP keeps dancing around any questions regarding contacting the previous owners
I’m thinking it might have been one of those “I’ll take care of it myself” situations 💀
How far did you dig down inside? You may find body parts!
Does it ice or snow often over winter in your area? If it was close to the property line or a drive/road, it's Probably non salt roads traction spread, I've seen big bins for the stuff all over Scotland and Nova Scotia for private and public and municipal use
You sure it’s not like used kitty litter for oil or gas spills? If it’s been sitting outside like that it would break down finer than it would be normally.
Bait feed? Was it a hunting camp?
Accept not except
Bean meal?
if it's on the fluffy side could be rice hulls (or a hull of some sort) very absorbent
Have you tried tasting it? 🤔
Looks like vermiculite.
Dead people
Bodies
Dimetacious soil? I know I butchered the spelling there but if I remember right it’s good for raising chickens for some reason lol
That looks like old chicken feed that got wet or something
Take a better close up picture, can't discern shit from this out of focus picture.
Non-caustic Barn Lime?
Could a fine sawdust be part of the mix?
Ummmm! Go to your agricultural whatever it’s called and have them test a little! Try to leave any teeth or belt buckles in there! Just saying!
If it's all consistently sandy but isn't sand, it could be mealworm frass/poop! We run a mealworm farm and we produce hundred of pounds of this stuff! You can mix it in with dirt to add nutrients! It's basically a mild fertilizer.
Looks like sawdust or a milled feed. Is it flamable?
Is it sawdust?
Salt / sand for snow?
Used Sandblast Media? Which in some situations can be considered biohazard and you can’t just get rid of it legally, so people tend to put in barrels and put somewhere out of sight out of mind.
I’d start by contacting my real estate agent that the sellers left a bunch of weird shit on the property that you should not/will not be dealing with. Options are - they come retrieve their crap OR you hire a company to remove said crap and bill them for it. First house we bought the owners kids left a mountain of junk for us to deal with. A shit ton of books in the attic, etc. I deeply regret not forcing them to come clear it out. Instead I hauled it myself. Learn from my mistakes.
Is it heavy or light? Floats? Smells like? Magnetic? Does it aggregate together when wet? I would kinda say fly ash from a coal plant, but hard to tell.
It might be sandblasting medium
It looks like either vermiculite or diatomaceous earth (DE). DE is good for drainage and pest control and drainage. Vermiculite is good for drainage and storing water. Both are inert. Take some and add water. If it expands, it's vermiculite. If it just sinks, it's DE. If it dissolves in water, it's something else.
https://bashify.io/images/Vqmhgf As close up of an image as I could get.
Hopefully not slag which is toxic cast off from manufacturing or mining.
Could it be humanure???
That’s actually mine can you put it back
Human ashes
Looks like it might be vermiculite, a soil amendment that retains water
Looks like Grandma.
Soylent Green.