Consider these environmental risk facts about wood pallets:
  • Approximately 4.2 million tons of wood pallet materials were landfilled in the US in 1995; this equals 1.4% of total waste and 19.6% of total wood waste landfilled.
  • 7.6 billion board ft. of wood was used to make pallets in 2006 – deforesting an area 10 times the size of Manhattan in just a year.
  • Wood pallets have been a major factor in deforestation, which is a large contributor to global warming.
  • An estimated 30% of CO2 buildup is attributed to deforestation over the past 150 years.
  • Wood pallets are extremely heavy, typically weighing 70 to 80 pounds, which translates into higher fuel use and increased air pollution.

Source: Wooden Pallet Risks - Read About Pallet-Caused Environmental Dangers | Wood Pallet Truth (non-profit, non-commercial)

Daunting, no?