Substitute for Wooden Pallets

Plastic pallets are a viable alternative to wooden pallets.

The United States manufactures 500 million pallets each year, and 2 billion wood pallets are in use at any time, according to Kent University. Wood pallets, however, are expensive to maintain, so looking for an alternative is financially and environmentally beneficial to the world.

Identification

Pallets made from recycled plastic are the most common alternative to wooden pallets. Pallets from this material are more durable during transport and over 10 years have the lowest maintenance cost of any alternative, according to the Environmental Protection Agency.

Recycled Wood

Some stores throw away one-third of their wooden pallets. Wood pallet recycling programs reuse broken wood pallets to reduce wood waste. When Home Depot started using a pallet recycling program in the late 1990s, it displaced about 10 million pallets per year.

Corrugated Lumber

Very similar to wood pallets are pallets made from corrugated lumber like the material used for cardboard. These cost about as much as a regular wood pallet but are easy to dispose of because paper waste is readily accepted around the world.

References

• Kent University: Environmental Impact Analysis of Pallets Management
• Environmental Protection Agency: Pallet Alternatives Cost Calculator
• PR Newswire: The Home Depot to Begin Using Environmentally Sound Alternative to Conventional Wood Pallets
• Pallet Enterprise: Some Shippers Look for Wood Alternatives to Handle Exports