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Drive through any industrial park and you see multiple places offering "Free pallets", they are stacked up high and you can take as many as you like! A lot of people take them up on it, to break the pallets down and use them as firewood. Most of the free pallets don't appear to be damaged in any way.
I'm very surprised that there is no re-sale market for them.
When I accumulated too many pallets I'd sell them off to local pallet collectors for around 2 bucks each. They would also take damaged pallets, which I would often throw in, but sometimes collected $1.00 for.
Some pallets were odd sized and I'd always just give them away so I didn't have to waste my dumpster space on them.
When I was younger, we used to burn them at the beach, and every once in a while, when I take the family to the beach, we still will burn a damaged pallet at the end to make the bonfire huge.
When I accumulated too many pallets I'd sell them off to local pallet collectors for around 2 bucks each. They would also take damaged pallets, which I would often throw in, but sometimes collected $1.00 for.
Some pallets were odd sized and I'd always just give them away so I didn't have to waste my dumpster space on them.
When I was younger, we used to burn them at the beach, and every once in a while, when I take the family to the beach, we still will burn a damaged pallet at the end to make the bonfire huge.
Those wood pallets are also great for burning to do a clam/lobster bake.
I grew a pallet garden one year. Everything was growing great until the neighborhood squirrels and raccoons found it. Never got a thing out of it but a few green beans. Also a friend of mine once fenced in his small front yard with pallets. I've also seen plans for building small out buildings and greenhouses out of them.
So how will you make sure the ones you get aren't drenched in insecticides and rodenticides?
There's no food safety regulations about this?
Ironically, there isn't, as they have no real chance of coming into direct contact with foodstuffs. However, it DOES make sense to avoid products that are toxic...
1) There are pallets that are specially designed for the transport of heavy loads. They are intended to be single use as they are built for a very specific use. These are generally left at the customer's operations to be disposed of by the customer.
2) There are pallets that are made for a specific customers for transit between their own operations. These are generally used as long as they can be and are generally pained in a manner to be identifiable.
3) There are many recyclers who pick up pallets from manufacturing and distribution locations. They will either repair and reuse the pallets or they will recycle them into wood chips or other by products.
1) There are pallets that are specially designed for the transport of heavy loads. They are intended to be single use as they are built for a very specific use. These are generally left at the customer's operations to be disposed of by the customer.
2) There are pallets that are made for a specific customers for transit between their own operations. These are generally used as long as they can be and are generally pained in a manner to be identifiable.
3) There are many recyclers who pick up pallets from manufacturing and distribution locations. They will either repair and reuse the pallets or they will recycle them into wood chips or other by products.
Many moons ago I was stationed for a brief time at Tobyhanna Army Depot. I got detailed with a Supply Co. (was a medic). For a number of days we had to make pallets- specifically designed to carry M1 Abrams engines. All oak, all heavy duty and multi-use. They were HEAVY.
This weekend I bought two tons of wood pellets for heating- had them loaded into my 3/4 ton. Cheap pine crap-one literally exploded into pieces when the forklift operator lifted it. That ton spilled over. Cheap one way pallets.
There are definitely variations of pallets. The two I have left over from hauling pellets are going back to the place I picked them up from. They have stacks of them, and yes- free for the taking. But they are pure junk.
Ironically, there isn't, as they have no real chance of coming into direct contact with foodstuffs. However, it DOES make sense to avoid products that are toxic...
Pallets we used that were treated must have a stamped affixed on each pallet with their certification-registration number. They get the certification by passing a government inspection: heat-treated pallets; however, I don’t know/remember if insecticide chemicals are part of the process or not.
When pallets are stacked outside for pickup, the vendors can tell which ones have been treated when they see the certification symbol stamped on the pallets.
I repurpose them. I buy wood pellets- about 4 tons. All loaded on pallets. Some are better than others. I store my winter tires behind my shop on them, I also use them to frame in my compost piles.
... I buy wood pellets-..... All loaded on pallets.
That reminds me of Kramer's coffee table book that turns into a coffee table.
Re-purposing is always a good conservation tip....I often strip them and re-use the wood for other little projects & repairs, and pieces in poor codition go into the furnace in the winter.
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