We’ve all seen wooden pallets sitting outside of local warehouses. Typically, they’re made of a light wood that splinters and breaks with enough force; yet we still use this brittle wood as a means of transporting large shipments of product and materials. Recently, these pallets have even become a magnet for DIYers. These creative people have turned them into outside lounges and even the bases for couches and tables. While it’s great that people are taking the time to recycle and reuse the materials around them—what should happen to the pallets that aren’t picked up and turned into a chair? If you’ve come into possession of some pallets and need them removed, but don’t know how to properly dispose of them—Junk King in North Atlanta is at your service. 

Don’t Throw Your Pallets Out, Call Us Instead – Junk King, North Atlanta

The United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has been recording the waste and recycled materials used every year for over two decades. In 2018, the US used 292.4 million tons of material, and of that 6.2% was wood. They classify the goods created from these materials in the following way:

Durable goods last three years or more; nondurable goods generally last less than three years; and containers and packaging are assumed to be discarded the same year the products they contain are purchased.

Pallets themselves account for nearly all of the EPA’s ‘wood packaging’ category. They found that 58.8% of the packaging was landfilled after its use—no doubt corporations and businesses throwing them into the rented dumpster just outside their backdoors. Why might companies immediately jump to throwing them out in the closest dumpster? There are a few reasons:

1. Convenience:

   We all know that it is a hassle dealing with paper packaging, make that packaging wooden and it’s more hassle than the wood is worth; ergo, throw it out. 

2. Convention:

   Part of the draw to the use of wood as a packaging product is that it is repairable when pieces inevitably bust and splinter apart. In the past few decades pallets have been known for their brittle natures (due to wood choice via availability) and so it has become conventional to throw them out upon their unloading. “There is no immediate reason to keep them—throw them out!”

3. Unknown Potentials:

   The one thing that every business can capitalize on, is the ability to make money. As we’ll soon see, there is a tremendous amount of potential where pallets are concerned. The only reason why companies don’t utilize the demand for their wooden packaging is that they aren’t aware it is an opportunity. 

Even pallet-creating companies are aware of their continued potential after they are unloaded, and before they are thrown into a dumpster or broken apart. For example, take a look at the opinion championed by FALM (First Alliance Logistics Management, LLC): 

When you wind up with a bunch of unneeded wooden pallets, consider some options before discarding them. There are many ways you can choose to get rid of unwanted pallets. The worst possible way is to throw them in the garbage. Not only is this a waste of good resources, but it could also mean money down the drain. Recycling your unwanted pallets can benefit your company, as well as the industry. 

To put their words into perspective, FALM is not just a pallet builder and distributor; they are a super network of over 225 pallet manufacturing and repair companies. Of course, we can always make the argument that they don’t want us to throw away those things which they made, because they made it; but, let’s avoid the proverbial child’s drawing argument (save things for sentimental reasons). These are very much just wooden pallets. The problem through is that they can be better used, even after they have taken on multiple loads and have gained a few broken boards (since they can be replaced). This is the stance taken on by Junk King in North Atlanta; the worst thing you could do is throw out these pieces of opportunity. Instead, call on us to ensure that they are properly disposed of—whether that means breaking them down, replacing boards, or recycling them into a new project or for another shipment. 

Pallets and Opportunities: Alternative Options & Recycling with Junk King North Atlanta

There are multiple types of materials that pallets can be created out of and each type of material presents advantages and disadvantages. Here is a quick look at wooden pallets versus alternative options (a study conducted by the Arkansas Department of Environmental Quality):

Wooden

– Advantage: repairable, cheap

– Disadvantage: lowered safety due to splinters and cheap wood

Plastic

– Advantage: made of recycled material

– Disadvantage: not repairable, potential fire hazard

Metal 

– Advantage: made of recycled material, repairable

– Disadvantage: very high cost per unit, usually heavy

Composite (multiple materials)

– Advantage: repairable, extremely strong load weight

– Disadvantage: fair to high cost per unit, little data on performance 

Why does looking at the disadvantages in comparison to wooden pallets matter? It matters because we can see why companies continuously pick wooden pallets over other alternatives. The traditional use of wooden pallets means that there are advantages to choosing wood over other materials and these advantages surpass even the massive load-bearing capacities of composite pallets. These sentimentalities can be viewed extensively when we look at even more numbers to explain the relations. 

A full decade ago “there were 416 million new pallets manufactured”, out of every 100 of those, about 43 were recycled or recovered pallets. Since then, we can estimate that the number of pallets in use has steadily increased, with a particularly explosive increase during 2020—when everyone stayed home, and many people chose to ship in their groceries and products. Today, it is estimated that out of all of those pallets that are used, about 95% of them are recovered and recycled into usable materials (according to the National Wooden Pallet & Container Association). 

This is great news for those people who are involved with the recycling of these packaging materials, and it is even better news for the world and the environment as a whole. However, what are you supposed to do if you and your business have never recycled pallets before? Where do you take them? Should you try repairing or rebuilding them yourself? How do you even know if they can be saved? In North Atlanta, Junk King is your solution for not only junk hauling and removal—we also take and properly dispose of wooden pallets too. 

For Junk Hauling, Removal, and Recycling Call Junk King North Atlanta for Help

Junk King is known for a lot of things; we are rated #1 for customer service in our industry; we can handle any type of removal (except hazardous wastes); we have unique and helpful options for our customers, like our MINI dumpsters or our state of the art pricing calculator; we even have self-service options, full-service options, or business options, to give you exactly the care you need for every job. 

We’re also known for something else; we are North America’s greenest junk removal service option. It’s part of our business model and part of the commitment we make to every community that we operate in. We are big believers that the conservation of the environment is of the utmost importance for future generations, so we use only the greenest methods when collecting, removing, and disposing of junk, trash, and materials. We recycle or donate 60% of everything we collect, to help reduce landfills and help our communities and local environments be the best that they can be.  

How would we properly dispose of your pallets? The answer isn’t a landfill. Even broken pallets can be processed down into useful materials. This means that when you choose to have your pallets removed by us, you are giving those pallets the best possible chance at reuse in the near future; disposing of your pallets with us means committing yourself to environmental progress. At Junk King North Atlanta, we service the entire Atlanta area north of the Atlanta Georgia Metroplex; call on us to help take the next steps towards the Green Movement and a better world for all of us. 

Contact us today, it’s as simple as 1, 2, 3! 

• – Give us a call at 1-888-888-JUNK to either get a quote over the phone or set up an appointment for an estimator to come to look at your junk (this provides you with the best estimate experience possible). 
• – Take some pictures with your cellphone and shoot them to our phones at 1-737-888-5865. Our experts will always text you back (with an estimate!). 
• – Hop on over to our online form; you can do a lot with this page, you can even ask us questions or set up a delivery for same-day roll-away options (subject to availability).