Bulletin 032 · recycled pallets

Sustainable plastic pallets: the three lives of one pallet

Last reviewed Nov 12, 20267 stages

The short answer

A sustainable plastic pallet has three lives: it is reused, then repaired, then recycled. The order matters. Recycling is the third life, not the first.

Each step keeps the resin in use.

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

Reuse

Plastic pallets last. They are often described as 100 trips or more. A closed-loop programme, where pallets go to known sites and return, uses that life to the full.

Repair

Plastic is hard to glue, so cracked parts are welded. Some designs have snap-lock parts for quick repair. A repaired pallet can still be worth more than flake.

Recycle

When it cannot be repaired it is sorted, ground and moulded again. That is the third life. EPA gives no pallet figure, so be cautious of claims that sound precise.

Why the order helps

Grinding a sound pallet throws away the moulding work. Recycling a broken one recovers the resin. Do the right one at the right time.

Reuse, repair, recycle

The order is the same as in waste thinking: use the pallet again, repair it if it breaks and recycle it when it cannot be fixed. A sustainable pallet fits all three.

Measuring a claim

Look for numbers with sources: the share of recycled content, the number of reuse cycles, the weight of the pallet. A general statement is not a measurement.

End of life

Whether the maker will take the pallet back, whether it can be ground and whether the regrind goes into another pallet.

Three lives of one pallet

Life	Trigger	Result
Reuse	Pallet sound	Another trip
Repair	Cracked, common size	Welded, back in service
Recycle	Beyond repair	Regrind, new pallet

What the sources say

en.wikipedia.orgAbout 500 million pallets are made each year as of 2020, with about 2 billion in use in the US.
en.wikipedia.orgThe 48 x 40 in GMA pallet makes up about 30 percent of new US wood pallets.
rehrigpacific.comRehrig Pacific says its reusable products are designed to be recyclable at end of life and run a buyback program.
nelsoncompany.comAdvanced composite material pallets are 100 percent recycled polyolefins, cheaper with a shorter life, and suit export where the pallet is not returned.
en.wikipedia.orgPlastic pallets can deform (creep) under heavy long-term loads and are hard to repair.
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.
cabka.comCabka says plastic export pallets are exempt from ISPM-15 treatment, that there is no single export size, and that its nestable export designs include extra-lightweight and air-freight versions.
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.
en.wikipedia.orgSteel, aluminum, plastic and engineered-wood pallets are exempt from ISPM 15; wood must reach a core temperature of 56 C for at least 30 minutes for heat treatment.
iccsafe.orgThe International Fire Code permits pallets listed and labeled under FM 4996 or UL 2335 to be treated as wood pallets for sprinkler design.
nelsoncompany.comStatic capacity is the highest of the three ratings; racking is often the lowest; dynamic is always lower than static.
nelsoncompany.comFor products touching the pallet directly, stricter federal requirements may call for non-blended virgin HDPE; recycled pallets often meet general FDA needs.

Terms on this page

Reuse cycle: One trip out with a load and back again. Some pallets are rated for a number of them.
Closed loop: Pallets that travel between known sites and come back, so they are never lost to a downstream user.
Welding repair: Plastic is hard to glue, so cracked parts are normally welded.
Flake: The small, irregular pieces a granulator makes. Flake is regrind before it is sold or melted.
Rackable: Rated to sit on rack beams, with a stated racking load.
Racking load: Weight a pallet carries bridging an open span in unsupported racking. Often the lowest rating.
Food contact: A material that touches food directly. Recycled content in food-contact use is held to rules a pallet deck usually is not.
Granulator: A machine with rotating knives that cuts plastic down to a set size, then pushes it through a screen.
Recycled-content pallet: A pallet moulded partly or wholly from post-industrial or post-consumer resin.
Multi-trip pallet: A pallet designed to be returned and reused many times.
Regrind: Plastic ground from used or scrap parts into flakes for moulding again.

Questions people ask

What makes a pallet sustainable?

Long life, repairability and recyclability. Not a label.

Is recycling better than reuse?

No. Reuse first, recycle last.

Are there sustainability numbers?

We state none we cannot source.