Memorial Day Picnics and Pallet Trivia

It’s a fact–a pallet is an indispensable object in the global economy.  Without these rigid platforms, usually made from wood or plastic, you or I would not have access to food for Memorial Day picnics and all the other consumer products we rely on daily. Below are other important facts to know and appreciate about the humble pallet:

• Did you know?  Over 95% of all wooden pallets are now recycled – a much higher recycling rate than for aluminum, paper, or plastic.
• A pooled pallet has a better lifespan than a non-pooled wooden pallet, but its high weight results in higher transport costs and thereby greater carbon footprint.
• Trees are generally not cut down to make pallets. The wood used for pallets is a by-product of the timber used in the construction of houses and furniture.
• There are more trees in the United States today than there were 100 years ago, and the number of new trees still increases annually.
• U.S. industry harvests about 1.3% of all forest land. Over half the harvest area is in the South which provides nearly 60% of all the Nation’s forest products annually.
• Pennsylvania has the largest hardwood forest in the United States.
• There are more than 2 billion pallets in service in the United States each day. Ninety-five percent of these pallets are made from wood.
• When no longer suitable for repair and re-use, wood pallets can be further recycled into boiler fuel, mulch, wood pellets, or animal bedding.

From all of us at Rose Pallet, hope you have a safe and enjoyable holiday weekend ahead.