Well everyone, I suppose this is the first little bit of information I will put up here. It is basic but I hope it is a good start.
In 1995, the USDA reported that 6.32 billion board feet or about 38% of the annual US lumber production was consumed by wood pallets. Unfortunately, the pallet industry recovered 171 million pallets or 2.6 billion board feet and only roughly 139 million pallets were reused. This means that in 1995 alone 3.72 billion board feet of wood was dumped in landfills.
We cannot demonise the pallet industry as pallet recycling has multiplied four fold just within the 1990s: In 1992 only 13% of the wood used by the industry was recycled. However, by 1999, approximately 36% of the pallet consumption was fed by recovered pallets. Nonetheless, more than 60% of all pallets consumed are used once and then discarded.
Better recycling programmes and the petition for the use of 100% recyclable alternatives such as plastic, corrugated cardboard and metal are desperately needed to prevent such atrocious waste of natural resources and environmental commons.