A low cost manual container lifting and placement unit operable by two people is disclosed which allows clamping, lifting and release of containers in a simple manner. The unit is made in two clamp jaw halves and each is connected to a rod that extends out to form handles on each side. The halves are connected by linking plates which allow rotation between the two halves causing the clamp halves to converge to grip a container of interest and diverge to release the container.