Services · circular
Pallet recycling
Recycling is the third-best thing you can do with a pallet. Reuse is first, repair is second. We run all three, in that order, and we can prove where the tonnage went.
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In short
Pallet recycling at RePallets Ohio follows a strict hierarchy: reuse whole pallets first, repair damaged ones second, dismantle for component lumber third, and grind for mulch and biomass fuel only when nothing else is possible. Roughly 94% of inbound mass leaves the yard as a pallet or a pallet component.
We provide diversion documentation for sustainability reporting. Collection runs across Ohio from our Columbus yard. Full process at inside pallet recycling.
Why the order matters more than the word 'recycling'
'Recycled' has become a comfortable word that hides enormous differences in outcome. Grinding a perfectly repairable pallet into mulch is technically recycling. It is also the destruction of about eighty percent of the object's remaining value and most of its embodied carbon benefit.
The waste hierarchy is not a slogan, it is an ordering by energy and value retained:
- Reuse. No processing energy at all. The pallet is inspected and goes back out. Highest value retained.
- Repair. One board and four nails. Perhaps two percent of the object replaced.
- Remanufacture. Dismantle and rebuild from recovered components. Value retained in the lumber.
- Recycle to material. Grind for mulch or fibre. Structural value gone, material value retained.
- Energy recovery. Burn for heat. Material value gone.
- Landfill. Everything lost, plus methane.
Any recycler can move you from step six to step five. Getting you to step one is the work.
What we document
If a number is going into your sustainability report, it needs to be defensible. We provide, per collection and in period summaries:
- Pallet count and estimated tonnage collected
- Split between reused, repaired, dismantled and ground
- Landfill tonnage — which has been zero for three years
- Estimated CO₂e avoided using the published coefficients on our methodology page
We publish the coefficients precisely so your ESG team can challenge them. A green number that cannot be audited is worse than no number at all, because it eventually becomes a retraction.
Who this service is for
- Distribution centres generating a continuous core stream and currently paying a waste hauler
- Manufacturers receiving inbound raw material on pallets they cannot reuse
- Retail and grocery with backroom pallet accumulation and limited yard space
- Food and beverage with high volume and strict housekeeping requirements
- Construction and industrial sites with mixed and damaged wood packaging
- Waste and facilities managers who need one line on a report to read zero
Most of these customers discover the service pays them rather than costs them. See sell us your pallets.
Contamination: the part nobody enjoys
A clean wood stream is worth money. A contaminated one is a disposal cost, and the difference is usually made by fifteen minutes of housekeeping at your end.
Keep stretch film, banding, cardboard, general waste and non-wood packaging out of the pallet stack. Keep the stack covered or indoors if possible — a rain-soaked pile grows mold and loses grade fast. Segregate visibly damaged pallets so we can price the load accurately rather than conservatively.
Do that and your load is worth more, our processing costs less, and both facts show up in the price.
What we can and cannot take
Being precise about this saves everybody a wasted trip, and it is why our landfill figure is a records figure rather than an aspiration.
We take: wood pallets in any condition, wooden crates and boxes, skids, dunnage and blocking timber, pallet collars and wooden accessories, cable drums and reels.
We do not take: general waste, stretch film, banding, cardboard, plastic pallets (we can advise on regrind outlets but do not process them), treated or painted timber beyond ISPM-15 marking, chemically contaminated wood, and anything that carried hazardous material without documented decontamination.
We decline at the gate: loads that are soaked, visibly moldy, or mixed with enough non-wood waste that separating them costs more than the wood is worth. Declining is not obstruction — accepting material with no outlet is exactly how a zero-landfill claim quietly stops being true. See what zero landfill actually requires.
The reporting your ESG team will actually be asked for
Programme customers receive per-collection records and period summaries. The fields are chosen to survive a review rather than to look impressive.
- Pallet count and estimated tonnage collected, per site and per period
- The split between reused, repaired, dismantled and ground
- Landfill tonnage — zero, and stated as a records figure
- Estimated CO₂e avoided, calculated from the coefficients published on our methodology page
The reason we publish the coefficients is straightforward: a number your team cannot audit eventually becomes a retraction. We would rather give you a smaller figure you can defend than a larger one you cannot.
If your framework mandates specific emission factors, send them and we will run your tonnage through your numbers instead of ours.
Reference
The recovery hierarchy, and where your material lands
| Step | What happens | Value retained | Share of our intake |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Reuse | Inspected, graded, resold as-is | Everything | ~50% |
| 2. Repair | One board or a companion stringer, then resold | Almost everything | ~30% |
| 3. Remanufacture | Dismantled, rebuilt from recovered components | The lumber | Part of the 14% |
| 4. Recycle to material | Ground for landscape mulch | Material only | Part of the 6% |
| 5. Energy recovery | Biomass boiler fuel | Energy only | Part of the 6% |
| 6. Landfill | — | Nothing | 0% |
Any recycler can move you from step six to step five. Getting to step one is the work — see [why reuse beats recycling](/blog/why-reuse-beats-recycling).
Avoid these
Mistakes we see
Treating 'recycled' as a single outcome
Grinding a repairable pallet into mulch is technically recycling and practically the destruction of most of its value. Ask a recycler what proportion leaves as whole pallets, not what their landfill number is.
Mixing film and banding into the wood stream
Contamination turns an asset into a disposal cost, and a single bad load can contaminate a mulch batch and jeopardise that outlet for everyone.
Publishing a diversion figure you cannot source
If the coefficients behind a carbon number are proprietary, the number is marketing. Insist on the arithmetic before you put it in a report.
Waiting until the pile is a problem
Scheduled collection matched to your generation rate costs less per pallet, keeps the material in recoverable condition, and removes the fire-code and pest questions at the same time.
Checklist
Work through this before you order
Preparing a clean wood stream
- Wood only — no film, banding, cardboard or general waste
- Covered or indoors where possible
- Damaged pallets segregated so the load can be priced accurately
- Odd footprints separated from standard
- Forklift access and trailer turning room
- Someone available for the count
For your sustainability report
- Ask for tonnage and the reuse-repair-grind split
- Confirm landfill tonnage is a records figure, not a target
- Get the CO₂e calculation method, not just the result
- Check whether your framework mandates specific factors
- Set the reporting period before the first collection
Questions
Before you ask us
Does pallet recycling cost us anything?
Frequently not. If your stream is clean, standard-size and accessible, the core value typically covers collection and often leaves a payment to you. Contaminated, wet or very low-volume streams may carry a service fee, which we quote before scheduling.
Can you provide diversion documentation for our ESG report?
Yes. We supply per-collection and period summaries covering tonnage, the reuse-repair-grind split, landfill tonnage and estimated CO2e avoided, with the calculation method published openly.
What happens to pallets that cannot be repaired?
They are dismantled on a band saw. Usable deck boards and stringers are recovered and resold, the remainder is ground for mulch and biomass fuel, and fasteners are magnet-recovered as scrap steel.
Do you handle non-wood packaging waste?
We handle wood packaging: pallets, crates, skids, dunnage and collars. We do not handle general waste, film or cardboard, and mixing them into a pallet load will reduce what the load is worth.
Do you charge for pallet recycling?
Frequently not. A clean, standard-size, accessible stream usually covers collection through core value and often leaves a payment to you. Contaminated, wet or very low-volume streams may carry a fee, quoted before we schedule.
How is tonnage calculated?
From counts and typical unit masses, cross-checked against weighbridge records where a load is weighed. We state which method produced a figure rather than presenting an estimate as a measurement.
Can you handle a one-off clearance?
Yes. Site clearances, plant closures and backlog piles are all normal work. Send an approximate count and photographs — condition after a long period outdoors drives whether it is a payment or a fee.
Do you take wooden crates and dunnage as well as pallets?
Yes — crates, boxes, skids, dunnage, blocking, collars, cable drums and reels. Anything solid wood packaging, provided it is not treated beyond ISPM-15, painted or contaminated.
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