End-Users Aren't Happy Either
Companies using wooden pallets have more problems to contend with. At the top of the list are issues of storage and disposal. Once delivered to a business and unloaded, an empty 40" x 48" wooden pallet requires about four and one half cubic feet of storage space. It's not uncommon for large businesses to store hundreds or thousands of pallets in de-facto junkyards next to their businesses. Corporate surveys estimate the handling and disposal costs of wood pallets run the end-ser at least $2.38 each. Certain states now ban pallets from landfills or require special fees any time a truck pulls up with unwanted pallets.
Shipping cost is another issue to consider. Wooden pallets can weigh up to 70 pounds each. Any form of shipping that charges by weight also charges for the weight of the pallet. On a flight from New York's La Guardia Airport to Tokyo, companies pay about $1.21 per pound, equal to about $85 per 70-pound pallet, just to ship the pallet overseas.
Considering all these issues, it's no surprise that end-users are ripe for a change. Home Depot, Wal-Mart and others have already begun looking for alternatives to wooden pallets.
Mountains of wooden pallets await removal.
