Pallet wood as animal bedding
Animal bedding is the second use EPA names for chipped pallet wood, alongside mulch, in its 2018 recycling estimate. Only clean, untreated, unpainted wood qualifies, and the shavings or chips must be dry and free of metal. WARM has no factor for it, so it counts as diversion with no emissions credit.
Where it fits
EPA's 2018 estimate of 3.1 million tons of wood pallet recycling describes it as chipping 'for uses such as mulch or bedding material' (EPA). Bedding is a better use of wood than landfill, but a lower one than reuse, which keeps the whole pallet working.
What disqualifies wood
- Paint, stain or preservative treatment of any kind.
- Pallets marked MB (methyl bromide fumigation). Leave them out of anything animals live on; see MB pallets.
- Spills from the load the pallet carried: chemicals, oils, pesticides.
- Wet or mouldy wood.
For farms that receive it
Ask the supplier what goes into the grinder and whether metal is removed by magnet. If you raise animals for food, your processor or certifier may have its own bedding rules; check them before switching sources.
Sources
- Containers and Packaging: Product-Specific Data (wood packaging, 1960–2018) U.S. EPA. Accessed October 27, 2026. Page last updated October 19, 2026; latest data year 2018.
- Documentation for Greenhouse Gas Emission and Energy Factors Used in WARM, Version 16: Construction Materials Chapters, ch. 12 Wood Products (EPA-530-R-23-020) U.S. EPA. Accessed October 27, 2026. Exhibits 12-3 (p. 12-3), 12-9, 12-13, 12-15 and 12-16 (p. 12-10).