UK standard pallets
1200 x 1000 mm, any grade
We collect UK standard pallets in any grade, and sound ones are the pallets we buy most.
Pallet collection service
We collect surplus and unwanted pallets from business sites across the UK, and collection is usually free for 50 pallets or more, we pay for reusable pallets, and waste pallets leave with a waste transfer note.
Send a photo, the number of pallets and your postcode, and the quote says which pallets we buy, which we take free and the day we collect.
Which pallets do we collect?
We collect empty wooden and plastic pallets of six types, sound or broken, sorted or mixed, from warehouses, factories, shops and construction sites.
Euro pallets
1200 x 800 mm, EPAL-stamped or unstamped
We collect Euro pallets stamped or unstamped, and sound ones are bought by size and grade.
CP and odd-sized pallets
CP1 to CP9, square and non-standard sizes
We collect CP pallets and odd sizes on the same load as standard pallets, priced on the quote.
Broken and damaged pallets
Snapped boards, split or missing blocks
We collect broken pallets as waste, with a waste transfer note.
Mixed pallet loads
Sizes and conditions together
We collect mixed loads unsorted and sort them at our yard, so you do not separate them on site.
Plastic pallets and pallet collars
Plastic pallets, wooden hinged collars
We collect plastic pallets and pallet collars with your wooden pallets, priced on the quote.
CHEP, LPR and IPP pallets in a load are set aside for their owners, as set out below.
Reusable pallets or waste pallets and how the law tells them apart
A pallet is reusable, not waste, when it goes straight back into use as a pallet and needs no more than minor repair; a pallet that is broken, unwanted or surplus with no certain reuse is generally waste, under Environment Agency guidance.
What you can see decides most loads. That means sound boards and blocks, and a standard size. What the law also weighs is not visible. That is whether the pallet is meant for reuse and how certain that reuse is.
Two classes cover every pallet we collect.
- Reusable pallet
- A sound pallet, usually a standard size, that goes back into use as a pallet with no more than minor repair; we buy it by size and grade.
- Waste pallet
- A broken or contaminated pallet, or one with no certain reuse; it travels with a waste transfer note under the code 15 01 03 for wooden packaging.
The Environment Agency weighs all the signs together, so a load is classed when we see it, from the photo or on the day. That class decides the price, as we pay for one and collect or charge for the other.
Pallet collection cost depends on whether we pay, collect free or charge
A pallet collection ends one of three ways. We pay you for reusable pallets, we collect poorer ones free on 50 pallets or more, or we quote a charge for contaminated pallets and small loads.
Is pallet collection free? Usually, for 50 pallets or more, and loads under 50 are priced on the quote rather than turned away.
| Outcome | We pay | We collect free | We quote a charge |
|---|---|---|---|
| Which pallets | Sound UK standard, Euro and half pallets, and other reusable sizes | Poorer and broken wooden pallets, and mixed loads | Contaminated pallets, plastic pallets, pallet collars, loads under 50 pallets and sites with no forklift |
| What it costs you | Nothing, as we pay per pallet, by size and grade, once counted | Free on loads of 50 pallets or more | A charge, written on the quote before we book |
| Paperwork | A count of the pallets we bought | A waste transfer note for the waste pallets | A waste transfer note for the waste pallets |
Sound UK standard, Euro and half pallets are most wanted. How we price reusable pallets by size and grade is on our we buy pallets page.
How does a pallet collection work?
A pallet collection works in five steps, from you sending a photo, the number and the postcode to us pricing the load, booking the vehicle, picking up the pallets and sending the count and paperwork.
- 1Send the load details
A photo of the stack, roughly how many pallets and the collection postcode.
- 2Get the price
We reply the same working day, and the quote says which pallets we buy, which we take free and any charge.
- 3Agree the day and vehicle
We confirm the collection day and send a vehicle sized to the load and your access.
- 4Hand over the pallets
We load them on the agreed day, and waste pallets leave with a signed waste transfer note.
- 5Get the count and paperwork
The pallets are counted and graded at our yard, and the count comes back to you in writing.
Collection vehicles and site access
We send a vehicle sized to the load and the site, such as an articulated lorry for full loads, a smaller rigid lorry or a flatbed where access is tight, and a tail-lift vehicle on request.
- Number of pallets
- Sets the vehicle size, from a flatbed to a full articulated load.
- Forklift on site
- Lets us load from your stacks; tell us if there is none, and we bring a tail-lift vehicle, priced on the quote.
- Access limits
- Height barriers, narrow gates, loading bay times and construction-site rules go on the form.
- Where the pallets stand
- Stacked in one place, close to where a vehicle can park.
Waste transfer notes for collected pallets
Waste pallets leave your site with a waste transfer note, signed by you and by us, which you keep for 2 years. Pallets we buy for reuse are counted, not signed over as waste.
The note records seven things, under the waste duty of care code.
- The time and place of the transfer
- Your business's SIC code
- Both names and addresses, and both signatures
- The waste code, 15 01 03 for wooden packaging
- The quantity and the nature of the waste
- The capacity each party acts in, and its registration
- A statement that the waste hierarchy was applied
The duty of care code applies in England and Wales; Scotland and Northern Ireland have their own regulators, SEPA and DAERA.
Who can collect waste pallets from your site?
We are a registered waste carrier, and only a registered waste carrier can collect waste pallets from a business; carrying waste without registration can mean an unlimited fine, according to GOV.UK.
Ask any collector for its waste carrier registration number and check it on the Environment Agency's public register before the pallets leave, or on the Natural Resources Wales register in Wales. If a collector cannot show a registration, the waste duty of care code says not to hand over the waste.
The same check applies to a single clearance and to regular collections.
One-off pallet clearances and regular collections
Our pallet collection service runs as a one-off clearance or as a regular collection, weekly, fortnightly or monthly.
| Detail | One-off clearance | Regular collection |
|---|---|---|
| Suits | A stock-take, a site clear-out or a move | A steady flow of pallets from deliveries |
| Booking | One quote for one load | One quote sets the day and the frequency |
| Paperwork | A transfer note for each load of waste pallets | One season ticket can cover a year of the same waste with the same carrier |
| Delivery run | Old pallets collected on the same run as a pallet delivery, on request | Old pallets collected on the same run as a pallet delivery, on request |
A season ticket is one waste transfer note for a series of the same transfers, lasting up to one year, so a weekly collection does not need 52 separate notes. Both run across the UK.
Where and when do we collect pallets?
We collect pallets from business sites across England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, usually within 3 working days of booking, and the day is confirmed with your quote.
- Area
- Any UK business site a lorry can reach, priced by postcode
- When
- Usually within 3 working days of booking; the day is confirmed with your quote
- Regulator for waste
- The Environment Agency in England, Natural Resources Wales, SEPA in Scotland and DAERA in Northern Ireland
Book a pallet collection
Tell us how many pallets you have, their sizes and condition, where they are and how a vehicle gets in; the quote says what we pay, what we take free and any charge.
- Quantityroughly how many pallets
- SizesUK standard, Euro, CP, odd sizes, plastic, collars or mixed
- Conditionmostly reusable, mixed or mostly broken
- Photoone photo of the stack
- Postcodewhere the pallets are
- Accessforklift, height or gate limits, loading times
What happens to your pallets after we collect them?
Your pallets are sorted at our yard, with reusable pallets repaired where needed and sold again, pallets beyond repair taken apart for boards and blocks, and wood that cannot be reused sent for recycling.
- Reusable pallets are graded and go back into supply as used pallets.
- Pallets beyond repair give up their sound boards and blocks to repair other pallets.
- Wood that cannot be reused leaves our yard for recycling.
The sorting and recovery route is set out on our pallet recycling page.
What happens to CHEP, LPR and IPP pallets in a collection?
CHEP, LPR and IPP pallets remain the property of the pool companies, so we never buy, sell or recycle them; they go back to their owners. We set them aside from your load and do not count them in the price.
CHEP pallets stay CHEP's property, and councils point businesses to CHEP's own free collection. IPP pallets are marked "Property of IPP".
All pallet collection services
Pallet collection FAQs
Is there a pallet collection service near me?
We collect pallets from business sites across the UK, priced by postcode. Send the number of pallets and your postcode, and the quote confirms the collection day.
Do you collect broken pallets?
Yes. We collect broken and damaged pallets as waste, with a waste transfer note. On loads of 50 pallets or more, collection is usually free.
How quickly can you collect pallets?
We usually collect within 3 working days of booking. The day is confirmed with your quote, and regular collections run on a fixed day.
How do you dispose of pallets in the UK?
Hand them to a registered waste carrier with a waste transfer note, or sell the reusable ones. We buy sound pallets and collect the rest, and you get a waste transfer note for every collection.
Who takes pallets away from a business?
Pallet companies like us collect them. We pay for reusable pallets and take broken ones as waste.
