Walk around a U.S. city and you'll occasionally see these bins sitting next to mailboxes. The U.S. Postal Service uses them to haul periodicals and what they call "flats"--letters and envelopes--and occasionally leaves them next to a mailbox to be used by the next postal worker. The bins are sturdy as hell, which is why some people steal them.

They're made by folding up corrugated plastic sheets. The plastic is stronger than corrugated cardboard, and unlike cardboard, can be left out in the rain. Some type of crimping tool is used to crush a circle into the folded sheets, and a series of these crimped divots is strong enough to hold the surfaces together. The overall shape is designed to be trapezoidal rather than having 90-degree walls so that the bins can be stacked.

Whomever designed the bins added a metal rod bent into a rectangle that runs the perimeter of the rim, adding structure. Other than that the ribs in the plastic do the work, making the containers rugged enough to handle the tender ministrations of our exceedingly careful postal workers, who would never do things like throw piles of stuff out of the back of their truck onto the sidewalk.

If you're keen to try making one yourself, you can purchase this plastic in sheets up to 4x8 at art supply stores like Blick or at a plastics center.

"Some type of crimping tool is used to crush a circle into the folded sheets, and a series of these crimped divots is strong enough to hold the surfaces together." The process used is called Ultra Sonic welding. Also note, that the "Corroplast board pictured has square flutes. The board pictured on the totes shown has fluting in the shape of a sine wave. Only two companies in North America make this laminated/corrugated board. Neither are Corroplast who is a manufacture of extruded plastic sheet. All plastic board is not Corroplast any more than all facial tissue is "Kleenex."

I’m a lapsed industrial designer. I was born in NYC and figured I’d die there, but a few years ago I abandoned New York to live on a farm in the countryside with my wife. We have six dogs.

Test it out; it only takes a single click to unsubscribe

Don't have an account? Join Now

Already have an account? Sign In

By creating a Core77 account you confirm that you accept the Terms of Use

Please enter your email and we will send an email to reset your password.

Test it out; it only takes a single click to unsubscribe