Pallet recycling
We recycle wooden and plastic pallets from business sites across the UK, and sound pallets are graded and sold again, damaged ones are repaired or taken apart for boards and blocks, and wood that cannot be reused is chipped for recycling.
Send a photo of the stack, the number of pallets and the postcode, and the quote says what we pay, what we take free and the day we collect. Waste pallets leave with a waste transfer note.
Which pallets do we recycle?
We recycle wooden and plastic pallets in any condition, sorted or mixed, from warehouses, factories, shops and construction sites. You do not need to sort the load first. We sort it at our yard.
- Sound used pallets, in UK standard 1200 x 1000 mm, Euro 1200 x 800 mm and half sizes
- Damaged pallets with snapped boards or split blocks
- Pallets beyond repair
- Mixed loads of sizes and conditions
- Plastic pallets
CHEP, LPR and IPP pallets in a load are set aside for their owners, as set out below.
How does pallet recycling work?
Pallet recycling works in five steps, from collecting the pallets to sorting them, repairing the ones worth repairing, dismantling the ones beyond repair and recovering the wood that is left.
- 1Collect.
We pick up the pallets from your site, and waste pallets leave with a signed waste transfer note.
- 2Sort.
We check every pallet by size and condition, and set aside CHEP, LPR and IPP pallets for their owners.
- 3Repair.
We replace snapped boards and split blocks on pallets worth repairing.
- 4Dismantle.
We take pallets beyond repair apart for boards and blocks that repair other pallets.
- 5Recover.
We send wood too damaged to reuse to be chipped for recycling or energy recovery.
Step one runs on our pallet collection service, with the same booking and the same paperwork.
Where each recycled pallet goes, reuse, repair or recovery
Each recycled pallet goes to the highest use its condition allows, which is reuse as it is, reuse after repair, its boards and blocks reused in repairs, or its wood recovered, in the order the waste hierarchy sets.
The waste hierarchy puts preventing waste first, then preparing for re-use, then recycling, then other recovery such as energy recovery, and disposal last, according to Defra's "Guidance on applying the Waste Hierarchy".
| Pallet condition | What we do | Where it ends up | Waste hierarchy stage |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sound, a standard size | Grade it A, B or C | Sold again as a used pallet | Prevention, with re-use before the pallet becomes waste |
| Damaged but repairable | Replace boards or blocks, then grade it | Sold again as a used pallet | Preparing for re-use |
| Beyond repair | Take it apart for boards and blocks | Boards and blocks repair other pallets | Preparing for re-use, as spare parts |
| Wood too damaged to reuse | Send it to be chipped | Recycled, or energy recovery for lower grade wood | Recycling or other recovery |
Pallets taken apart for boards and blocks still feed the pallet trade.
What happens to pallet wood that cannot be reused?
Pallet wood that cannot be reused is chipped, and the chip goes for recycling or, for lower grade wood, energy recovery.
Lower grade wood goes for energy recovery, which Defra's waste hierarchy guidance allows as an exception, and the guidance points to the Wood Recyclers' Association grading structure to set the grade.
Before any wood is chipped, we take off the sound boards and blocks for repairs, so only wood with no use left in a pallet reaches this stage.
Can plastic pallets be recycled?
Yes, plastic pallets are recycled by granulating them into new plastic products, and we collect them with your wooden pallets.
Reusable plastic pallets are sold again. Broken ones go to a plastics reprocessor, where they are granulated and made into new plastic products such as pallets and crates.
Plastic pallets are hard to repair the way wooden ones are repaired, so a broken plastic pallet goes straight to the reprocessor.
Paperwork for recycled pallets
Waste pallets leave your site with a waste transfer note that you and we both sign, and you keep it for 2 years. Pallets we buy for reuse are counted, not signed over as waste.
The note records the time and place of the transfer, both parties and their signatures, the waste code 15 01 03 for wooden packaging, the quantity and a waste hierarchy statement. The full seven-item list is on our pallet collection page.
On request, we send a written summary of how many of your pallets were reused, repaired and taken apart.
The duty of care code applies in England and Wales; Scotland and Northern Ireland have their own regulators, SEPA and DAERA.
Which rules apply to recycling waste pallets?
Three rules apply to recycling waste pallets in England and they are waste carrier registration, the waste duty of care and the T12 exemption for sorting, repairing and dismantling.
- Waste carrier registration
- Anyone who carries a business's waste pallets registers as a waste carrier, and carrying waste without registration can mean an unlimited fine, according to GOV.UK.
- Duty of care
- Every transfer of waste pallets goes with a waste transfer note, and the waste hierarchy is applied before the waste is passed on.
- T12 exemption
- Sorting, repairing, refurbishing or dismantling waste wooden pallets for reuse or recovery needs a registered T12 exemption, up to 100 tonnes at any one time, or an environmental permit above that.
Under T12, wooden pallets can be stored for up to 2 years for sorting or repair, and for up to 12 months for sorting and dismantling, according to the GOV.UK guidance on the T12 waste exemption for manually treating waste.
We are a registered waste carrier, and you get a waste transfer note for every collection. Ask any recycler 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.
T12 limits checked on 1 November 2026. New exemption rules are due from 6 January 2027, subject to parliamentary approval.
Pallet recycling cost depends on whether we pay, collect free or charge
A pallet recycling load ends one of three ways. We pay for reusable pallets, we collect poorer ones free on 50 pallets or more, or we quote a charge for contaminated pallets and small loads.
- We pay
- Reusable pallets, paid per pallet, by size and grade, once counted
- We collect free
- Poorer and broken wooden pallets, on a load of 50 pallets or more
- We quote a charge
- Contaminated pallets, plastic pallets, pallet collars and loads under 50 pallets, priced on the quote before we book
Where and when do we collect pallets for recycling?
We collect pallets for recycling from business sites across England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, usually within 3 working days of booking. You do not bring pallets to a recycling centre, because we collect them from your site.
- 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
- How often
- A one-off clearance or a regular collection, weekly, fortnightly or monthly
Book pallet recycling
Tell us how many pallets you have, what they are made of, their condition and where they are; the quote says what we pay, what we take free and any charge.
- Quantityroughly how many pallets
- Materialwooden, plastic or both
- Conditionmostly reusable, mixed or mostly broken
- Photoone photo of the stack
- Postcodewhere the pallets are
- Accessforklift, height or gate limits, loading times
When is pallet repair a better choice than recycling?
Pallet repair is the better choice when you want your own pallets back in use, as we fix snapped boards and split blocks and return them, where recycling takes them into our stock.
With repair, your own pallets come back to you. With recycling, they go into our stock, which suits pallets you no longer need, mixed loads and pallets beyond repair. Our pallet repair service fixes and returns your own pallets.
What happens to CHEP, LPR and IPP pallets sent for recycling?
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 collection, according to council waste guidance. IPP pallets are marked "Property of IPP", according to IPP.
Pallet recycling FAQs
Is there a pallet recycling service near me?
Yes, we recycle pallets from business sites across the UK, collected and priced by postcode. Send the number of pallets and your postcode, and the quote confirms the collection day.
Can I recycle pallets for money?
Yes, we pay for reusable pallets, per pallet, by size and grade, once counted. Sound UK standard, Euro and half pallets are most wanted, and broken pallets are collected as waste.
Can broken pallets be recycled?
Yes. Broken pallets are repaired, or taken apart for boards and blocks, and wood too damaged to reuse is chipped for recycling or energy recovery.
How much does it cost to recycle pallets?
Collection is usually free for 50 pallets or more, and we pay for reusable pallets. Contaminated pallets and small loads carry a charge, written on the quote before we book.
Do you sell recycled pallets?
Yes. Pallets we recycle are graded A, B or C and sold again as used pallets, priced on quote with delivery across the UK.
