Are pallets recyclable?
Wood pallets are recyclable: they can be reused, repaired, rebuilt from salvaged boards, or ground into mulch, bedding or fuel. EPA counted 3.10 million tons of wood packaging, mostly pallets, as recycled in 2018, meaning chipped. Industry figures count reuse and repair too and report a far higher share.
The routes
- Reuse: back into service as-is.
- Repair: new boards on a sound frame.
- Remanufacture: rebuilt from salvaged boards.
- Grinding: mulch, bedding, fuel or panel feedstock.
Two ways of counting
EPA's figure counts tons chipped and excludes wood burned for fuel (EPA). The Pallet Foundation's '95% recovered' counts pallets in use that avoided landfill. Both are explained on 27% vs 95%.
What isn't recyclable
- Heavily contaminated pallets, which go where the contaminant requires.
- Painted pallets in mulch or bedding streams.
- Pooled pallets, which aren't yours to recycle; they go back to the owner.
Plastic pallets
Plastic pallets are recyclable too, usually by regrinding them into new plastic products. Pooled plastic pallets go back to their owner, and several states regulate who may buy plastic pallets for scrap; see iGPS.
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.