Are 27% or 95% of pallets recycled? Why both figures exist
Both numbers are real but measure different things. EPA's 2018 data show 3.10 of 11.53 million tons of wood packaging recycled, about 27% by our arithmetic, counting chipping only. The Pallet Foundation's 95% compares pallets landfilled (25.39 million in 2016) with pallets in circulation and counts reuse and repair as recovery.
The two claims
| EPA (2018) | Pallet Foundation (2016 data) | |
|---|---|---|
| Unit | Tons of wood packaging | Number of pallets |
| What 'recycled' includes | Chipping for mulch or bedding; excludes fuel use | Recovered into usable materials, including reuse, repair and grinding |
| Denominator | Wood packaging entering the waste stream | Pallets in the market |
| Figure | 3.10 of 11.53 million tons (26.9%, our arithmetic) | '95% pallets were recovered into usable materials' |
| Publisher | U.S. EPA | Industry foundation; research by Virginia Tech with USDA Forest Service |
Why they differ
EPA counts what has already become waste and asks how much of it was chipped. A pallet repaired and sent back out by a recycler never enters EPA's 'generated' tonnage at all, so reuse doesn't raise EPA's rate.
The industry figure starts from pallets in use. The Virginia Tech research behind it estimated 508 million new pallets and 341 million repaired or refurbished pallets produced in 2016, against 25.39 million landfilled at MSW and C&D landfills (Shiner thesis; Pallet Foundation). Against that base, landfilling is a small share.
Which to use
- For waste tonnage and national recycling comparisons with other materials: EPA, with the year.
- For how many pallets avoid landfill altogether: the industry estimate, attributed as such, with its year.
- Never quote one without the other when the reader might compare them.
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.
- Landfill Avoidance (March 2018) Pallet Foundation (industry body). Accessed October 27, 2026. Industry publication. Always attributed.
- Study shows 95% of wooden pallets are recycled (press release, March 29, 2018) Pallet Foundation (industry body). Accessed October 27, 2026.
- Investigation of Disposal and Recovery of Wood and Wood Packaging in the United States (M.S. thesis) Virginia Tech (Z. P. Shiner, 2018). Accessed October 27, 2026. Published in peer-reviewed form as Shiner, Horvath, Araman and Gething, BioResources 16(1): 1496–1522 (2021).