How to Make the Most of Your Wooden Pallet Supply

At Rose Pallet, our goal is to provide high-quality pallets that get your product from here to there…safely. The majority of the pallets we design are built for repeated use so you can get the most out of your pallet supply.

However, during its lifecycle, a wooden pallet will require repair.  In fact, the average wooden pallet will go through the same cycle of being shipped by truck, plane, boat, or train; transported through a warehouse; unloaded; parked in storage; and then sent back out again for up to five years.

Wood Pallets are Ideal for Repair and Re-Use

To ensure optimum use of your wooden pallet supply, regularly inspect them for signs of wear and tear including missing or damaged boards as well as missing or broken nails, fasteners, or other metal components. Oftentimes, these issues can be easily repaired so that the pallet can return to the cycle and be used to its full potential.

However, there comes a time when a used pallet is no longer suitable for transit. This can occur when parts are not readily available to repair broken areas, if multiple stringers are no longer solid, excessive splits exist in the deckboards, or if the cost to repair the pallet exceeds the cost of buying new.

Keep Pallets Out of the Landfill

In this circumstance, many options are available for recycling or upcycling pallets. For example, entire pallets can be ground up and recycled into mulch, animal bedding, or fuel. Parts or pieces can be recycled into construction material such as flooring or upcycled into furniture or home décor.

To help facilitate the recycling process, there exist several online resources that will pair up those who have pallets with those who need pallets. One such site is the North American Pallet Recycling Network, which directly matches generators and recyclers of pallets.

Of course, Rose Pallet can also assist you in the process. If you have scrap pallets, wood waste, plastic, or cardboard sitting around your facility, consider our drop trailer program. Through this service, we will drop an empty trailer at your location into which you can unload all of your wood or plastic pallet waste. When you reorder pallets, or when you call us to report a full trailer, we can drop/switch the trailers and remove the scrap or waste for recycling. This process eliminates the hassle that comes with having live unloads and ensures you always have a trailer on site for collection purposes.

And, if you’re looking for creative, alternative uses for pallets, we regularly blog on the topic; for more information, check out our previous posts on pallet upcycling.