How To Keep Your Old Plastic Pallets From Entering Landfills
25 Apr 2018
Plastic waste has become a priority concern in recent times, with the effects of plastic pollution causing catastrophic consequences to the environment and marine life. With this in mind, more of us are urged to reduce plastic consumption or reuse as much plastic as possible. Recycling plastic pallets is one way to help keep plastic out of landfill sites.
Reliance on Plastic
Plastic is a fairly recent invention, and its use over the past few decades has soared. Now the environmental consequences of plastic waste are being felt, and consumers are being urged to cut down on plastic usage. Often this is easier said than done.
Yet plastic certainly has its uses, and when it comes to plastic pallets, these containers really can provide a great range of benefits. Plastic pallet usage has increased significantly in recent times, despite the dominance of wooden pallets, as plastic is lightweight, hygienic, affordable and easy to store. More and more companies that ship goods across a wide range of sectors are turning to plastic pallets, making it one of the fastest-growing sectors in the pallet industry. Plastic pallets also tend to last much longer than their wooden counterparts, so recycling plastic pallets is certainly a viable option.
Recycling Pallets
If you ship lots of goods using plastic pallets, there may come a point when you wonder what to do with all of the pallets. Wooden pallets can be easily burnt or turned into mulch after use, but it is not so easy to break down plastic pallets in a similar fashion. In order to avoid sending plastic pallets to landfill sites, companies need to think about what they can do with their mounting pile of plastic pallets.
Reuse Pallets Internally
The sturdy and durable nature of plastic pallets means that they lend themselves well to being reused, so think about how you can use these pallets again within your business. Could they be of benefit to other departments within your company, particularly for storing items or moving items around? You could even repurpose them into makeshift furniture if you have a creative kind of set-up. Plastic pallets are very easy to keep clean, so they are ideal for reusing many times.
External Uses
If your business isn’t able to reuse the plastic pallets, find someone else who can. There are lots of companies that will gladly take plastic pallets off your hands for you, so get to know who these are and start talking to them.
In fact, some companies will be willing to pay you for your plastic pallets, so research which options are open to you if you want to make some money from your pallets but don’t have any further use for them yourself.
Businesses such as Associated Pallets take recycling plastic pallets seriously, and they pledge to reuse and repair pallets to promote sustainability and to offer customers a cost-effective solution for shipping goods that reduces the impact on landfill waste.