Plastic Pallets Increase Product Safety
05 May 2016
Investing in new plastic pallets is a popular choice when it comes to pharmaceutical and food logistics, largely because of their hygiene credentials as well as their financial and practical benefits. Plastic is viewed as a much cleaner alternative to wood, offering fewer areas in which bacteria could grow and allowing for easier washing and maintenance. So serious are some manufacturers about maintaining the benefits of pallets made of plastic that they are enforcing specific handling requirements in a bid to safeguard their products.
These companies want their products to avoid all contact with wooden pallets to prevent cross-contamination, and they see plastic versions as a means of maintaining high standards and integrity.
The Problems with Wood
It is widely accepted that wood pallets have the potential to harbour pathogens, creating possible issues with cross-contamination. This is why some companies are going as far as bypassing a closed-loop model of handling in favour of single-use new plastic pallets that are then recycled and reused. This ensures complete confidence in the pallets being used, as each one is always fresh out of an injection mould.
This is a relatively extreme option, however, and is one that is unlikely to be repeated by all companies – even those who are wholeheartedly committed to the hygienic benefits of plastic pallet choices.
The Benefits Explored
In general, plastic options offer an affordable pallet choice that can make maintaining product integrity simpler and easier to achieve. Even those companies that choose to sell pallets for recycling after a single use are convinced that their use makes financial as well as practical sense.
For other firms and organisations, sanitization can also allow for the effective reuse of the pallets, offering confidence in cleanliness levels that wood pallets cannot hope to replicate. Washing becomes a viable means of maintaining standards without the potential pathogen risk that is so problematic with wood.
Plastic Pallet Options
Associated Pallets specialises in the supply of options for a multitude of different applications. Options for the pharmaceutical and food industries include strong and durable Euro pallets. These are a popular option amongst companies who need a lightweight nestable Euro pallet choice suitable for air transportation or more heavyweight options for pallet racking.
Other options include non-standard pallet choices such as the Quarter Pallet and the Dusseldorf, along with a range of UK Standard pallets.
Find out more about the different pallets available by browsing the website or giving Associated Pallets a call on 08000 288655.