Wood Pallets and Landfills - Status and Opportunities for Economic Recovery and Recycling

Abstract

Wood pallet recovery, repair, and recycling are sound environmental activities that can reduce both forest resource demands and waste in landfills. Our studies found that 6.16 million tons of wood pallets (or 223.6 million pallets) entered municipal solid waste (MSW) and construction and demolition (C&D) landfill facilities in 1995. At the same time, wood pallet recovery, repair, and recycling by pallet firms reached 171 million pallets. Approximately 37.9 million pallets were recovered at landfills, mostly to low- or no-value uses. Because of the large amounts of recovered and unrecovered material landfills could be an additional source of pallet materials to pallet recovery/repair companies. A business plan spreadsheet for a potential pallet landfill recovery operation that would feed recovery/repair companies is presented, as are other potential value-added products that can be made from recovered pallet parts. Based on early testing of the spreadsheet the economic potential looks good.

Citation

Araman, Philip A.; Bush, Robert J.; Hammett, A.L.; Hager, E. Brad. 1998. Wood Pallets and Landfills - Status and Opportunities for Economic Recovery and Recycling. Proceedings, WASTECON/ISWA World Congress 1998, SWANA''s 36th Annual International Solid Waste Exposition. 345-358