Perhaps some sun exposure may help the smell dissipate?

I wash all my new feeders in very very hot soapy water and rinse rinse rinse. Plastics often have some kind of coating on them from being manufactured.

From time to time if they get mold I soak them in very hot bleach water and rinse well. That might get rid of the smell too.

If its that flimsy sort of plastic it may not last long exposed to the elements.

I have no idea if this type of plastic might harm the birds or not.

I would think twice about using very hot water to rinse a feeder. If the plastic is cheap it can be ruined by intense heat. I have a couple good, but cheap, feeders that are labelled "not dishwasher safe", so I only use water that I can safely put my hand under. Even an older feeder I used to use that was labelled "dishwasher safe" seems to have been adversely affected by rinsing with scalding hot water.

I think you worry too much. :)

Hot water has never been a problem for over 10 years. Its not nearly as hot as the dishwasher gets and I'm not using the same chemicals as dishwasher detergent.

These are not expensive feeders they're the ones you can buy at WalMart. If the feeders are such cheap plastic that hot water is going to damage them then they aren't going to last a full season anyway. :)

Hot water kills germs, and mold. Using it with an old toothbrush helps to keep the feeders clean. :)

I never put my bare hands in dishwater, I always wear gloves.. yes even to rinse the feeders so I can use hotter water to do the job.

I have had the same thing and it is horribly toxic seeming, and I think it is from the sun beating on the plastic. I've thrown three of them away now. The last one I got only had plastic on only the bottom and same thing - horrible smell. One of them I threw away, I still smell days later through the trash can - this cant be healthy for the birds. Now I'm worried about any plastic parts. I've been trying to find all glass feeders - but inevitably there are rubber parts - do you think they are safe?