Rock salt is somewhat corrosive to many metals, but does not cause any harm to PVC, ABS, or rubber, so far as I know. For that matter, urine is also somewhat corrosive to some metals. Chemically, rock salt is sodium chloride—it's table salt that hasn't been as thoroughly refined. You can store table salt in a plastic shaker indefinitely and it won't harm the plastic one bit.
A saturated solution of rock salt and water freezes at -6°F. Calcium chloride lowers the freezing point considerably more. (Most anything dissolved in water will depress the freezing point to some degree; that's how antifreeze solutions prevent water from freezing.)