Recycling Pallets!

Couldn't find any info doing a search so lets fill this thread up with info. I'm looking to get into pallet recycling/resale. The line of work I'm in generates a ton of pallets we have a few people who occasionally pick them up. We however require they take all the pallets, broken, wrong size, etc so they only come by when it's slow, they are starting to stack up... I recycled them a few times as a kid and got $10 each:confused: From what I hear now there is pallet yards that will buy the right ones if the economy is good if not then it's harder to find willing buyers. You can sell them direct to companies needing them yourself for $4 each. This is your most common size 48x40 pallet. The others aren't in high demand unless you find someone who needs them specialized. Once I find an outlet to resell I will report what happens.

Plastic pallets are like a rare coin I keep them for projects I'm not sure what they are worth! I figure though in an avg pickup truck bed you can lay pallets 1 row 2 deep with 3 on each stack to even out the pallets with the bed rails then then you stack them 2 rows of 2 with a total of 5-6 in each stack and you can bring in a load of 30 pallets at $4 each $120 bucks.

i worked one summer with a pallet rebuilder. They had the whole setup in a trailer about the size of an 8x35 but it was HEAVYY, their new gas powered trucks wouldn't pull them well, so they had to trade them for diesel. They'd pull these things all over the country. You ever seen a large plant with acres and acres of pallets stacked beside it? That's where we'd go and set up (at the time a new pallet cost $7 but for us to rebuild them was about half of that). The trailer sides folded out to make a larger floor area where stacks of pallets would be placed, and there were 3 workstations, plus special tools ( one would cut out rails that needed to be replaced ) Us workers were by the piece and made pretty fair money for it, plus they payed our rooms and a daily sustenance.

I knew a guy years ago that started out in pallets (lost his job in a trailer factory) with a pickup truck. He did his homework and over time made a lot of contacts. He would charge companies to haul away their excess pallets, take them to an old rented barn ($100. month) and repair what was needed and would sell them to other companies as needed. I think he got $ 5. each for them. It didn't matter to him if you needed 2 or 200. A year later he had a big flatbed truck with a 15-18 ft. bed and he always carried a wad of cash big enough to choke a horse. But he had a large clientele where the pallets were coming and going every day, his boy worked for him doing the repairs. If a factory called he would have a load of pallets there within the hour. He would even haul for second shift up to 10 pm at night. Needless to say, while he had the business going, it was booming.

warsaw? is that near brazil? i did some great dane trailer preps there in the mid 80s

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Originally Posted by Bear

warsaw? is that near brazil? i did some great dane trailer preps there in the mid 80s

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No, Warsaw is about 40mi. straight west of Ft.Wayne.
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ahhh! cool, brazil was west of indianapolis, i enjoyed those trips up there.

I save the pallets I get and use them to roast oysters in the fall...Mmmm...Oysters.

Ask your scrap yard how much they would pay for good 48x48 pallets. That should give you an idea of there worth.

I sell pallets. I get around $3 each and make about $700 a month doing so.

Prices here are not good. $1.75 for reparable ones and $2.00 for good ones... http://tucsonpallets.com/WE_BUY_PALLETS.php I am sure if you had a lot that they would have better prices, like anything else!

I see them made in huts & firewood sheds sometimes, add some iron gotton from a roller garage door & its a water proof shed.

they make really nice pig pens too! ; )

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Originally Posted by Bear

they make really nice pig pens too! ; )

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And you can even stack stuff on em !.

When i get a bunch im using them to hold my piles of scrap and compost.

this just keeps gettin better! I'm fixing to put some in low areas beside the old barn to walk across when it gets wet and water stands there

I am currently trying to find someone who buys pallets locally. I can probably do 10 to 20 pallets a week.

Check CL Scrappingmom, I saw an ad the company had 1000's to get rid of. Not sure if the ad is still up or has been reposted lately.

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Originally Posted by ScrapperNJ26

Check CL Scrappingmom, I saw an ad the company had 1000's to get rid of. Not sure if the ad is still up or has been reposted lately.

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I can get pallets where I work and also at the local mall. The mall frequently puts an ad on CL for people to take them. Before I take them, I need to find a buyer. Going to call a couple of places and see what I can find out.

The closest buyer is offering $1.00 per pallet. I can haul maybe 15 pallets at 1 time. Is it worth it or do you think I would be wasting my time?