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Has anyone ever seen how in a few episodes of Firefly, they use exactly this sort of thing (cut down water bottles) as glasses in bars? Talk about propmaking on the cheap!

I usually just get the joint good and hot, then quickly slap the PCB on the table. Momentum makes the liquid solder splatter on the table and (after repeating two or three times) you can easily remove the part.

So what about ESD?
It's a good idea for resistors and such, but never put your active component in regular plastic box or you risk to fry them.
At least, put a grounded plate at the bottom.

The comment about ESD (electro-static discharge) is a good one. Most modern chips can be damaged by static electricity, such as you might generate with plastic containers like this. You could keep the chips in conductive foam (usually black in colour) or you could use aluminium foil.

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