Recycling & Repair That Extends Every Pallet's Life
Broken does not mean finished. Our recycling and repair program gives damaged pallets a second, third, and even tenth life. We repair what we can, recycle what we cannot, and send nothing to the landfill.
From Broken to Better
Our five-stage recycling and repair process ensures maximum material recovery and pallet lifespan. Here is how every pallet moves through our facility.
Collection
We pick up damaged, broken, and end-of-life pallets from your facility. Schedule a one-time collection or set up recurring pickups to keep your yard clear.
Sorting & Assessment
Every pallet is assessed individually. We separate repairable pallets from those destined for material recovery. Nothing is wasted.
Repair or Dismantle
Repairable pallets go to our workshop where skilled technicians replace broken boards, reinforce weak points, and restore structural integrity. Beyond-repair pallets are carefully dismantled.
Material Recovery
Dismantled lumber is sorted by size and quality. Usable boards become repair stock. Nails and hardware are collected for reuse. Wood scraps go to mulch, animal bedding, or biomass fuel.
Quality Control & Return
Repaired pallets pass a final quality inspection before re-entering our inventory. They are graded, documented, and ready for their next life cycle in the supply chain.
Recycling Process In Detail
What actually happens when your pallets arrive at our facility? Here is a step-by-step walkthrough of every station in our recycling operation, from the moment a truck pulls into our yard to the moment a repaired pallet ships out or wood chips leave for their next use.
Receiving & Unloading
Pallets arrive at our facility on flatbed trucks, often 300 to 500 per load. Our receiving team unloads each truck using forklifts and stages pallets in the intake area. Every incoming load is documented with quantity counts and a preliminary condition assessment. Pallets from different sources are kept separate until they have been through initial sorting to maintain traceability.
Average daily intake: 400-600 pallets across all sources.
Initial Sorting
Trained sorters walk through each stack and separate pallets into three categories: repairable, dismantle only, and immediate resale. Repairable pallets are those with damage that can be fixed economically, meaning the cost of repair is significantly less than the resale value of the finished pallet. Pallets with extensive structural damage or rot go to the dismantle line. Pallets in good condition that need no work are graded and moved directly to sales inventory.
Approximately 55% go to repair, 30% to dismantle, and 15% to direct resale.
Inspection Station
Each pallet destined for repair passes through a dedicated inspection station where a technician evaluates the specific damage. They mark each pallet with chalk or crayon to indicate what needs to be fixed: an X on a board means replace it, a circle on a stringer means reinforce it, a nail symbol means refasten. This pre-marking system speeds up the repair line because technicians know exactly what to do when each pallet reaches their station.
Each inspector processes 60-80 pallets per hour.
Repair Line
Our repair line operates with specialized stations. The first station handles board removal, where pneumatic pry bars and reciprocating saws quickly extract damaged boards. The second station is board replacement, where pre-cut replacement boards are nailed into place using pneumatic nail guns loaded with ring-shank nails for superior holding power. The third station handles stringer repair, using sister-board techniques for cracked stringers or full replacement for broken ones. The final station is finishing, where technicians address protruding nails, smooth rough edges, and verify structural soundness.
A typical repair takes 3-8 minutes depending on damage severity.
Dismantling Operations
Pallets beyond economical repair are dismantled on a separate line. Dismantling is not destruction; it is precise deconstruction. Band saws and pry bars separate boards from stringers. Each board is evaluated individually. Good boards that meet minimum thickness and length requirements are stacked and stored as repair stock. Shorter or thinner pieces go to the wood processing area. Metal fasteners are collected in bins for scrap recycling.
We recover usable boards from 70% of dismantled pallets.
Wood Processing & Grinding
Wood pieces that are too small, too thin, or too damaged for board repair stock go through our industrial grinder. The grinder reduces them to uniform wood chips, which are then sorted by size. Larger chips become landscape mulch. Medium chips become animal bedding material, primarily for equestrian and poultry operations. Fine particles become biomass fuel material, compressed into pellets for industrial heating systems. The grinding operation runs daily and processes approximately 2 to 3 tons of wood scrap.
Zero wood waste leaves our facility destined for landfill.
Mulch & Byproduct Production
Our mulch production creates three distinct products. Landscape mulch is the coarsest grade, used by landscaping companies and garden centers for ground cover and weed suppression. Animal bedding is a medium-fine grade, screened to remove splinters and treated to be dust-free, sold to farms and equestrian facilities. Biomass fuel pellets are the finest grade, compressed to high density for efficient combustion in industrial boilers. Each product line has its own customer base and distribution channel.
We produce approximately 200 cubic yards of mulch and 15 tons of biomass pellets per month.
Final Quality Control
Every repaired pallet goes through a final quality control check before being cleared for sale. Technicians verify that all repairs are structurally sound, that nail heads are flush, that replacement boards are properly aligned, and that the pallet meets the grade standard it will be sold under. Pallets that fail final QC are sent back to the repair line for additional work. This two-pass system ensures our quality guarantee is meaningful.
Our first-pass QC approval rate averages 94%.
Expert Repairs for Every Type of Damage
Our skilled repair technicians handle everything from simple board replacements to complex structural rebuilds. Each repaired pallet is restored to meet or exceed its original load rating.
Board Replacement
We replace cracked, split, or missing deck boards and stringers with matching lumber. The result is a pallet that meets or exceeds its original load capacity.
Stringer Repair
Damaged stringers are repaired using sister-board techniques or full replacement. We match the original wood species and dimensions for consistent performance.
Nail & Fastener Repair
Protruding, loose, or missing nails are addressed. We use ring-shank and screw-shank nails for superior holding power on every repaired joint.
Block Replacement
For block pallets, we replace damaged or missing blocks with new or reclaimed material. Proper block alignment is verified to ensure forklift compatibility.
Lead Board Reinforcement
Lead boards take the most abuse from forklifts. We reinforce or replace them with hardwood for extended durability in high-traffic environments.
Heat Treatment Re-Certification
Repaired pallets that require ISPM-15 compliance are sent through our heat treatment process and re-stamped with a valid certification mark.
The Environmental Numbers Behind Our Operation
Sustainability is not a marketing slogan for us; it is the foundation of our business model. Here are the detailed environmental impact numbers from our recycling and repair operations, measured and tracked annually.
Trees Saved
Manufacturing a standard 48x40 pallet requires approximately 12 board feet of lumber. Our annual repair and recycling operations save over 3.2 million board feet of lumber, equivalent to the harvest of more than 2,400 mature trees. These are trees that remain standing, continuing to absorb CO2, provide wildlife habitat, and prevent soil erosion.
CO2 Emissions Avoided
New pallet manufacturing involves logging, sawmilling, kiln drying, transportation of raw materials, and assembly, all of which generate carbon emissions. By repairing and reusing pallets instead of manufacturing new ones, we avoid an estimated 1,200 metric tons of CO2 emissions annually. That is equivalent to taking 260 passenger cars off the road for an entire year.
Landfill Space Saved
Wood pallets occupy significant volume in landfills and can take 15 to 20 years to fully decompose. During decomposition, they release methane, a greenhouse gas approximately 80 times more potent than CO2 over a 20-year period. Our recycling operation diverts over 850 tons of wood from landfills each year, preventing both the physical space consumption and the methane generation that would otherwise occur.
Water Conservation
The production of new lumber requires significant water resources, from tree growth and irrigation to sawmill operations and kiln drying. By extending the life of existing pallets, our recycling program conserves an estimated 4.8 million gallons of water annually that would otherwise be consumed in new lumber production. Water conservation is an often overlooked but significant environmental benefit of pallet recycling.
Energy Savings
Manufacturing a new pallet from raw timber consumes energy at every stage: felling, transportation, sawing, kiln drying, and assembly. Repairing an existing pallet uses only a fraction of that energy, primarily the electricity for pneumatic tools and the labor to perform the repair. Across our annual volume of 120,000+ recycled pallets, the cumulative energy savings exceed 680,000 kilowatt-hours, enough to power approximately 63 average American homes for an entire year.
The Life of a Pallet
A single pallet can circulate through the supply chain for years, carrying goods thousands of miles before it ever needs repair. Here is the full cycle.
New Pallet
A pallet begins its life as fresh lumber, assembled and ready for its first load.
First Use Cycle
The pallet enters the supply chain, carrying goods from manufacturer to warehouse to retail.
Collection
After completing its initial journey, the pallet is collected for assessment.
Inspection & Grading
Technicians evaluate the pallet and assign a grade based on condition.
Repair & Refurbish
If needed, the pallet is repaired, returning it to a safe working condition.
Resale & Reuse
The refurbished pallet re-enters circulation for another cycle. This can repeat 7 to 10 times.
Material Recovery
When a pallet reaches end-of-life, its materials are recovered: lumber for repairs, wood for mulch, hardware for scrap.
The Cascade of Value
Every piece of wood that enters our facility finds a productive use. We call this our Cascade of Value: a prioritized hierarchy that ensures every material is directed to its highest-value application. Nothing goes to waste.
First Priority: Direct Resale
Pallets that arrive in good condition with no repair needed are graded and moved directly into our sales inventory. These pallets represent the highest value recovery because they require no labor investment beyond sorting and grading. They sell as Grade A or Grade B used pallets at prices that are 30 to 50 percent below new pallet costs.
Second Priority: Repair & Refurbish
The largest category. These pallets need work but the repair cost is well below their resale value. A pallet that costs $2 to $4 to repair can sell for $6 to $10, making repair economically attractive and environmentally responsible. Repaired pallets re-enter the supply chain and can go through 7 to 10 more use cycles before needing attention again.
Third Priority: Repair Stock Recovery
When a pallet cannot be repaired economically as a whole unit, it is dismantled and the good boards and stringers are recovered as repair stock. These reclaimed boards are used to repair other pallets, reducing the need to purchase new lumber. A single dismantled pallet typically yields 4 to 6 reusable boards, each of which extends the life of another pallet.
Fourth Priority: Mulch & Animal Bedding
Wood pieces that are too small, too thin, or too damaged for board repair are ground into chips. The larger chips become premium landscape mulch sold to garden centers, landscaping companies, and municipalities. Medium-grade chips are processed into dust-free animal bedding for equestrian facilities and poultry farms. This ensures that even substandard wood stays in productive use.
Fifth Priority: Biomass Fuel
The finest wood particles, sawdust, and shavings from our operations are compressed into biomass fuel pellets. These pellets are used by industrial facilities for heating, providing a renewable energy source that displaces fossil fuels. Biomass fuel from pallet wood is carbon-neutral because the CO2 released during combustion equals the CO2 the trees absorbed during growth.
Sixth Priority: Metal Recycling
Nails, screws, metal plates, and other hardware are magnetically separated during the dismantling process and collected for scrap metal recycling. Steel and iron fasteners are sent to metal recyclers for smelting and reuse. While metal represents a small percentage of total pallet weight, it is 100 percent recyclable and has meaningful scrap value at scale.
Combined, these six tiers achieve a 100% material utilization rate. Zero wood leaves our facility destined for a landfill. This is not an aspiration; it is our daily operational reality.
Good for Business, Great for the Planet
Every pallet we recycle or repair is a pallet that does not end up in a landfill and a tree that does not need to be cut down. The numbers speak for themselves.
Tons of wood diverted from landfills annually
Board feet of lumber saved through repair each year
Lower carbon footprint compared to new pallet production
Of pallet material is recovered or reused in our process
What Happens to Damaged Pallets
Even the most damaged pallet holds value. Here is where every piece of material ends up in our zero-waste process.
Repair Stock
45%Good boards and stringers are saved and used to repair other pallets. This is the highest-value recovery pathway.
Mulch & Bedding
25%Smaller wood pieces are chipped into landscape mulch and animal bedding, keeping organic material in productive use.
Biomass Fuel
20%Wood scraps and sawdust are processed into biomass fuel pellets, providing renewable energy for industrial heating.
Metal Recycling
10%Nails, screws, and metal plates are magnetically separated and sent to metal recyclers for smelting and reuse.
Recycling & Repair FAQ
What happens to pallets that cannot be repaired?
Nothing goes to waste. Pallets beyond repair are dismantled. Good boards become repair stock. Smaller wood pieces are chipped for mulch, animal bedding, or biomass fuel. Nails and metal hardware are collected for scrap recycling. Our goal is to achieve zero waste.
How much does recycling or repair cost?
For most standard pallets, recycling pickup is free. We offset costs by recovering value from the materials. Repair costs vary depending on the extent of damage, but a repaired pallet typically costs 40 to 60 percent less than a new one. Contact us for a quote.
How many times can a pallet be repaired?
A well-maintained hardwood pallet can go through 7 to 10 repair cycles over its lifetime. Softwood pallets typically last 3 to 5 cycles. We assess each pallet individually and only repair those that will provide reliable service in their next use.
Is recycling pallets really better for the environment?
Absolutely. Manufacturing a new pallet requires fresh lumber, energy, and transportation. By repairing and reusing existing pallets, we reduce demand for new timber, lower carbon emissions from manufacturing, and keep millions of pounds of wood out of landfills each year.
Can you handle plastic or metal pallet recycling?
Yes. We accept plastic pallets for HDPE recycling and metal pallets for scrap recovery. While our primary expertise is in wood pallets, we have partnerships for responsible recycling of all pallet materials.
Do you provide recycling documentation or certificates?
We can provide documentation of pallet volumes recycled, materials recovered, and estimated environmental impact. This is useful for companies with sustainability reporting requirements or ESG goals.
Got Damaged Pallets? We Want Them.
Whether you have ten or ten thousand, we will pick them up, sort them, and give them new life. Every pallet you send our way is a pallet diverted from the landfill and a step toward a more sustainable supply chain. Schedule a free pickup today.