Pallets

Pallets at a household waste recycling centre help to organise storage space and move containers and bulky waste between stations. They are part of the internal logistics that make the site's daily work more efficient.

They are a practical addition to the equipment of every well-organised household waste recycling centre.

At recycling centres, pallets are used, among other things, for the temporary storage of sorted fractions before collection by the waste contractor, such as packaging or small electronic equipment. Placing waste on pallets rather than directly on the ground also makes it easier to keep the site tidy and to count stock quickly.

Recycling centres use both traditional wooden pallets and, increasingly, plastic pallets, which are more resistant to moisture and easier to keep clean. The choice between them depends mainly on the type of waste stored: wood works well for dry fractions such as packaging or small equipment, while plastic copes better with wet or soiled items.

The load capacity of a pallet should match the expected load. At sites accepting heavier waste, such as household appliances or metal items, reinforced pallets with higher strength are the right choice, while standard pallets are sufficient for lighter fractions such as cardboard packaging.

Placing waste on pallets rather than directly on the site surface brings several practical benefits at once: it helps keep the stored fraction tidy and dry, speeds up stocktaking of how full each area of the site is, and makes loading easier at collection, as the waste contractor can drive a forklift straight up to a specific pallet.

In practice, pallets at a recycling centre also help to organise the space by visually marking the boundaries of individual storage areas. This makes it easier for both staff and residents dropping off waste to find their way around the site without having to ask where each fraction should go.

When planning the number of pallets for a site, the turnover of individual fractions should be taken into account. Fractions collected more often, such as packaging, need fewer pallets in continuous use than those stored for longer before collection, for example electronic equipment awaiting transport to a specialist treatment facility.

The condition of pallets should be checked regularly, as cracked boards or loose parts pose a real risk when a loaded pallet is moved with a pallet truck or forklift. At busy sites, a good solution is to replace the most worn pallets on a rotating basis rather than waiting for the whole stock to wear out, which reduces the risk of handling equipment failures during daily site operations.