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Pool-marked plastic pallets: check ownership before you send

Last reviewed Nov 12, 20268 stages

The short answer

Pool-marked plastic pallets may belong to the pool operator, not to you. Check for a name, logo or RFID tag before you send or sell them.

We check ownership first, and we do not take marked pallets without it.

Got a load like this?

Five questions and a photo. We say what we think happens next once the pallets have been seen.

Send a load Find your area

A pallet is shredded and ground to flake, sorted by resin and colour, and moulded into a pallet again.

What pooling is

Pooling is renting pallets from a company that owns them and collects them again. iGPS runs a pool of all-plastic RFID-tagged pallets. CHEP is another pool operator. A pallet in a pool is the pool’s property.

The marks to look for

Names and logos moulded or branded on the deck, runner or block. A barcode plate. A serial number. An RFID bump or tag. If any are present, stop and check.

Name or logoMoulded, branded or stickered on the deck
Plate or barcodeOn a runner, block or deck edge
RFID bump or tagA raised circle, an embedded tag or a cage
Serial or batch numberMoulded in, often on a block

What the law and the courts say

California AB 1760 (2022) lets recyclers take possession of stray proprietary pallets if the owner cannot be identified or fails to retrieve them in time, with a 35-day period before they can be declared abandoned. CHEP USA sued two California recyclers over pallets they would not return. A Los Angeles court granted CHEP’s motion to retrieve pallets in one case. In 2011 a Quebec court ruled CHEP’s identified blue pallets belong to CHEP and cannot be sold.

What happened when it was ignored

In December 2011 a Los Angeles County Sheriff task force recovered over $250,000 of illegally obtained plastic pallets, including iGPS pallets, from a plastic recycler. That is the risk of treating marked pallets as scrap.

What to do

Set marked pallets apart. Photograph the marks. Call the pool, or tell us and we help work out who. Unmarked pallets in the same load can follow the normal route.

What we do

Marked loads go to the ownership check first. Nothing is ground, sold or moved until we know whose the pallets are. This is a careful company and we say so.

Why pools mark their pallets

A rental pool depends on getting its pallets back. Names, logos and RFID tags make a pallet recognisable at a glance and trackable on a dock.

If you are a pool customer

A pool pallet in your yard is on loan. The contract says how it is returned. Scrapping it, or sending it to a recycler, can breach that contract.

Marked or not

What you see	Likely	Step
No marks	Yours	Normal route
Some marked	Mixed ownership	Set marked apart
Most marked	Pooled stock	Contact the pool
RFID only	Possibly pooled	Ownership check

What the sources say

palletenterprise.comIn 2011 a Quebec court ruled that CHEP's identified blue pallets belong to CHEP and cannot be sold.
palletenterprise.comCHEP USA sued two California recyclers over CHEP-marked pallets they would not return; a Los Angeles court granted CHEP's motion to retrieve pallets in one case (article dated February 1, 2024).
nelsoncompany.com48 x 48 plastic pallets hold four 55-gallon drums without overhang; 48 x 45 matches North American auto parts bulk containers.
freightwaves.comiGPS announced FM approval in 2008 for its all-plastic RFID-tagged pooled pallet, which had UL 2335 certification from 2007.
rehrigpacific.comRehrig Pacific's rackable pallet has a two-piece snap-lock design for quick repair and options for FDA-approved colours, RFID and up to 15 percent black recycled content.
rehrigpacific.comRehrig Pacific's heavy-duty nestable can be made with post-consumer or post-industrial recycled material, up to 30 percent in black and up to 10 percent in colour, and is RFID compatible.
blog.containerexchanger.comNorth American plastic pallets in the common sizes are about 5 to 6 in tall.
en.wikipedia.orgMetal pallets are under 1 percent of the pallet market.
phsinc.comPHS lists 48 x 40 stackable plastic pallets with dynamic ratings of 2,500 to 5,000 lb and static ratings of 3,000 to 30,000 lb.
en.wikipedia.orgThe 48 x 40 in GMA pallet makes up about 30 percent of new US wood pallets.
en.wikipedia.orgPlastic pallets can deform (creep) under heavy long-term loads and are hard to repair.
en.wikipedia.orgNFPA requires wood and plastic pallets to be stored outdoors or in a detached structure unless sprinklers protect them.
iccsafe.orgA 2010 insurer figure cited by ICC puts fire spread to a pallet above at about 18 minutes for plastic versus nearly 50 for wood.
aphis.usda.govUSDA APHIS lists plastic pallets among products not subject to APHIS regulation, as an alternative to wood packaging material.

Terms on this page

Pooled pallet: A pallet owned by a rental pool and lent to users, who are expected to return it, not scrap it.
Pooling: Renting pallets from a company that owns, tracks and collects them instead of buying.
RFID tag: A small radio tag moulded or fixed into a pallet so that its owner can track it.
RFID: Radio tag moulded or fixed into a pallet so it can be tracked.
Ownership check: Our first step with any pallet that carries a name, logo, tag or colour that suggests another owner.
Deck: The flat surface that carries the load. A pallet may have a top deck, a bottom deck or both.
Runners: Bottom rails that touch the floor or rack and carry the load.
Rackable: Rated to sit on rack beams, with a stated racking load.

Questions people ask

Can I sell pallets with CHEP or iGPS markings?

Not without the owner’s say. They may belong to the pool.

How do I dispose of a pallet that is not mine?

Return it to the owner. We help find who that is.

What about stray pallets in my yard?

Check state law. California AB 1760 has a 35-day process. We do not give legal advice.

What if the mark is worn off?

A worn mark does not change ownership. Look for tags, serial numbers and the maker’s mould marks.

Sources, reviewed Nov 12, 2026: Pallet Enterprise, CHEP and California recyclers; Pallet Enterprise, Quebec ruling on CHEP pallets; Environmental Protection, plastics theft task force; FreightWaves, iGPS.