Services · logistics
Pallet removal & pickup
Pallets accumulating against a fence are a fire-code problem, a pest problem and a space problem. We make them disappear — usually for nothing, sometimes for a payment to you.
Request a quote
Tell us what you need
Send this and a real person in the Columbus yard reads it. Most quotes go out the same business day.
In short
Pallet removal is collection of used pallets from your site. In most of Central Ohio it is free when the pallets are standard sizes, stacked, forklift-accessible and recoverable — and if the stock is good we pay per core instead of charging. Long hauls, wet or contaminated wood and small odd-size volumes may carry a service fee, quoted before we schedule.
We run scheduled routes and on-call pickups from the Columbus yard across the whole service area.
Free, paid, or charged — which one applies to you
We pay you
Sorted or largely whole standard-size cores, forty or more, accessible to a forklift, dry. This is the most common outcome for distribution centres and manufacturers. See sell us your pallets.
Free removal
Mixed condition, mixed sizes, some damage, reasonable volume, decent access. The core value covers the collection and nobody exchanges money.
Service fee
Wet or moldy stock, heavy contamination, very small volumes, difficult access, long distance from Columbus, or loads mixed with non-wood waste. We quote it honestly and you can decide.
We tell you which category you are in before we schedule, not after the truck arrives.
Why pallet piles are worth solving properly
A stack of pallets against a building is one of the most common fire-code violations in industrial facilities, and one of the most consequential. Wood packaging is a high fire-load material and stacks against a wall provide both fuel and a vertical path.
Beyond fire, an outdoor pallet stack is prime harbourage for rodents and stinging insects, it holds water and grows mold that then travels back into your building on the next pallet you reuse, and it occupies yard space that has a real cost per square foot.
None of this is dramatic. It is simply why a scheduled removal route is worth more than the pallets themselves.
Scheduled routes versus on-call
Scheduled works best above roughly one hundred pallets a week. We agree a day and a window, the truck arrives without you calling, and pricing improves because we can plan the route.
On-call suits seasonal or irregular generation. Send a note through the contact form, we confirm a window, usually within a few working days in Central Ohio.
Multi-site operations should look at a pallet management programme instead — one contact, consolidated reporting, one invoice.
How to prepare a pile so it is worth more
- Stack them. Loose pallets take three times as long to load and that shows in the price.
- Keep them dry and off the ground where you can.
- Separate 48×40 GMA from everything else if you have the space.
- Keep broken pallets in their own stack rather than mixed in.
- Keep film, banding, cardboard and general waste out.
- Make sure a forklift can reach them and a 53-foot trailer can turn.
Fifteen minutes of this routinely changes a load from 'free removal' to 'we pay you'.
Choosing a cadence that matches your generation rate
The most common mistake in pallet removal is treating it as an event rather than a rhythm. A pile that never grows past a manageable size solves the fire question, the pest question, the degradation question and the space question at once.
Rough guide:
- Under 40 a week — on-call, or folded into an existing route through your area.
- 40–150 a week — fortnightly scheduled.
- 150–500 a week — weekly scheduled, fixed day and window.
- 500+ a week, or multiple sites — a managed programme with consolidated reporting and invoicing.
Set the cadence slightly tighter than your generation rate rather than looser. A collection that arrives before the pile is full costs the same as one that arrives after it has overflowed into the fire lane.
Access: the part that decides the price
Two sites with identical pallet piles can produce very different quotes, and the difference is almost always access.
What we need to know before scheduling:
- Can a 53-foot trailer enter, turn and park? If not, what is the largest vehicle that can?
- Is there a forklift on site, and will an operator be available?
- Is the stack on hard standing or on mud?
- Are there height restrictions, gates, or an appointment system?
- Is there a time window when the dock is free?
- Who signs, and will they be available for the count?
A truck that cannot get in is a wasted day for both of us. Ten minutes on this at quotation prevents it.
Reference
Free, paid or charged — where you land
| Your situation | Outcome |
|---|---|
| Sorted standard footprints, dry, stacked, 40+, forklift on site | We pay you |
| Mixed condition and sizes, stacked, decent access | Free removal |
| Mostly broken but standard sizes, reasonable volume | Free removal, usually |
| Small volume of odd sizes | Small fee, or folded into a route |
| Wet or moldy stock | Fee — the material has no resale outlet |
| Mixed with film, banding or general waste | Fee, or we ask you to separate first |
| Long distance from Columbus, small volume | Fee, or we suggest a closer yard |
| Chemically contaminated | Declined |
Avoid these
Mistakes we see
Letting the stack become a stored commodity
Once a pile is large enough that an inspector has to assess it, it is a compliance item rather than a housekeeping item. See the fire engineer's view of your pallet stack.
Stacking against the building
Wood packaging is a high fire-load material and a stack against a wall provides both fuel and a vertical path. It is one of the most commonly cited industrial fire-code issues.
Assuming removal must cost money
In most of Central Ohio it does not, and for good stock we pay. Paying a waste hauler for something with resale value is the expensive default.
Booking a collection with no one available to count
The count happens on the ground with your person present. Without that, either the driver counts unwitnessed or the visit is wasted.
Checklist
Work through this before you order
Before the truck arrives
- Stack square, off the ground, standard footprints separated
- Broken pallets in their own stack
- Film, banding and waste removed
- Forklift and operator available in the window
- Trailer route clear — gates open, no parked vehicles
- Someone nominated for the count and signature
Questions
Before you ask us
Is pallet removal really free?
In most of Central Ohio, yes, for standard-size, stacked, accessible and recoverable pallets. Long hauls, contaminated or wet wood, and small odd-size volumes can carry a service fee, which we quote before scheduling.
How many pallets do you need before you will come out?
About forty in Central Ohio. Smaller volumes can often be folded into an existing scheduled route, so it is worth asking rather than assuming.
Can you collect outside business hours?
For scheduled programmes, yes, subject to site access arrangements. Ad-hoc after-hours collection is harder and generally carries a premium.
Do you remove broken and unusable pallets too?
Yes. Broken pallets are dismantled for component lumber and ground for mulch and biomass. Nothing goes to landfill. Heavily contaminated stock may carry a disposal cost.
How quickly can you collect?
Usually within a few working days in Central Ohio. Elsewhere in Ohio collection follows our scheduled lanes, typically within a week. Urgent clearances can sometimes be fitted in — ask rather than assume.
Do you remove pallets from retail backrooms?
Yes, subject to access. Retail sites often have restricted delivery windows and limited turning room, so the practical constraint is usually the vehicle rather than the volume.
Can you provide documentation for our waste reporting?
Yes — per-collection records covering count, estimated tonnage, the recovery split and landfill tonnage. Programme customers get period summaries as well.
What if our pallets are inside the building?
That is normal for retail and light manufacturing. We need dock or door access and a route the equipment can use. Tell us at quotation so the right vehicle and equipment are scheduled.
Keep going
Related pages
