Plastic Pallets Overtaking Woooden Pallets

MANY companies are making the shift from wooden pallets to plastic pallets, a decision based on sound reasoning at various levels of concern.

Here are some reasons why.

Durability

One of the most important advantages of a plastic pallet is the durability of the material over wood. This benefits the both shipper and receiver in a number of areas.

Plastic pallets won't splinter, unlike the wooden counterparts which prone to splintering during shipping. These splinters can be messy and may even create a safety hazard for handlers. Perhaps even more important, splinters have the potential to damage the goods for which the pallets are supposed to be protecting. Plastic is a highly cohesive material that is unlikely to chip during even rough transport, with no chance of large splinters breaking off.

Cost efficient.

Of course, the more durable a pallet is, the more money saved by the shipper or receiver. Wooden pallets are much more likely to break apart sooner than plastic pallets; a plastic pallet can conceivably be used for years before it has to be replaced, if it ever does.

Flexibility

In addition to their durability, plastic pallets also have the advantage of accommodating different types of goods within the same pallet. Most plastic pallets will include dividers of various sizes, allowing the pallet to be adapted to the goods that one wishes to ship or receive.

The flexibility of plastic pallets may also mean savings when it comes to transportation costs. Wooden pallets must be stacked in a certain way once emptied; plastic pallets, on the other hand, can be collapsed and fit into a much smaller space. This means that less room is used on the transport vehicle, resulting in lower costs and fewer trips.

Environmental Concerns.

Finally, consider the environmental impact of plastic and wood. While it is true that plastic will break down at a much slower rate, this simply means that a plastic pallet will be used for a much longer period of time (in fact, much, much longer).

The continual construction of replacement wooden pallets is much more harmful to the environment than plastic pallets, which can not only be used over and over for years, but they also have the potential to be recycled, and be made from recycled materials.