Hey All,
Pallets are a really convenient way to store, ship and transport your heavy goods within your warehouse. That said, it’s important to keep a few things in mind when working with pallets
Broken or Defective Pallets:
It’s very easy to simply ignore when a pallet breaks; it happens all the time, especially with softwood skids. It is also very easy to simply throw that back on the pile and use it for a smaller engine/box/container in the future. We here at Paperking highly advise against this. Reusing a broken, or even partially broken pallet can result in your cargo being broken, which would understandably be bad for business. Less severe than that, a broken pallet can collapse in transit, making it extremely difficult to move on arrival and, at the very least, causing some complaints for your customer service department. Finally, and perhaps most dangerously, a broken pallet can break while loading, potentially causing harm to your employees or damage to your lift truck. Avoid all of these things, just dispose of that broken pallet
Disposing Of Pallets
When dealing with a broken, old, or otherwise unneeded pallet, you have to be careful how you dispose of it. Many companies burn pallets, since it produces “the least waste”. Do Not Burn Your Pallets. Many pallets are made with pressure treated woods, which release dangerous vapors when burned. These vapors can have serious health effects for you or your employees. In addition, some pallets are exposed to disinfectant chemicals, water sealing chemicals, and harmful paints and dyes, none of which should be burned. If you must dispose of a pallet, have an employee break down the pallet into boards and either use them as scrap wood (if your business has a need for it) or simply toss them in the dumpster. This will both save you on dumpster space (less pickups usually means less money out of your pocket) and is safer than burning the pallets. Just be careful when breaking them down, stray nails can cause some pretty serious damage if propelled by crowbar or sledgehammer.