| The city of Grand Rapids agrees and works hand in | | | | industry. The wood pallets industry is a big boost for |
| hand with Michigan in considering wood pallets as | | | | sound environmental and economic revitalization in |
| 'clean wood', which can be reused, land-filled or used | | | | Grand Rapids, Michigan. By repairing and recycling this |
| as bark mulch and fire wood unlike the scrap wood | | | | wooden supply, we are reducing the cutting of trees |
| and treated wood. Being the country's center for | | | | and usable materials out of landfills as well as |
| furniture production, Grand Rapids is committed in | | | | providing employment and materials to thousands of |
| bringing world-class wood products while striving to | | | | employers and companies. |
| be environmentally responsible. | | | | The wood pallets recycling business owners in Grand |
| Wooden pallets are very much preferred and used | | | | Rapids usually collect pallets from around the entire |
| by small and large companies, farms and even | | | | city and state, sort them for rehash and repairability, |
| homeowners in Grand Rapids. This is because | | | | fix them, and then sell the repaired pallets back to |
| wooden pallets are cheaper than plastic and metal | | | | the previous user or another buyer. Workers |
| pallets. Another reason is that they are made from | | | | disassemble the pallets that cannot be salvaged and |
| renewable resources and are recyclable; and most | | | | cut to size for reusable parts. Larger operations need |
| importantly, wood pallets have high friction to make | | | | varied degrees of automation for disassembling, |
| loads more secure. | | | | assembling and stacking pallets. Depending on the |
| Pallets, sometimes called skids, are made from | | | | condition, a single pallet may require a slight or full |
| hardwood or softwood planks. Three quarters of | | | | repair process where a dismantling machine is needed |
| newly manufactured hardwood construction are oak, | | | | to remove boards off the stringer. The reclaimed and |
| and it gets about 50% of the hardwood timber | | | | reusable parts are then reclaimed to become fully |
| harvested in the country. Wood pallets are easy to | | | | reusable again. |
| manage and leave almost zero waste disposals. A | | | | As the unemployment rates continue to climb, a slight |
| recent study by the Department of Wood Science | | | | increase reported in the city of Grand Rapids, |
| and Forest Products at Virginia Tech and the USDA | | | | recycling wood pallets saw a huge potential in |
| report that a very small quantity of 0.2 percent of | | | | providing great job opportunities for the people. More |
| broken pallets goes to a landfill. Pallets are not made | | | | than 5,000 people are getting their livelihood through |
| from fresh materials but from the unusable cut from | | | | the industry with a total payroll of over $137 million |
| preparing and processing timber so wood pallets are | | | | each year. The recycling industry produces an annual |
| not only recyclable but efficiently transform waste | | | | net income of about $2 billion from recycled goods |
| material into a viable product. | | | | including wood pallets. Formerly known as the |
| Grand Rapids' pallet industry works favorably well for | | | | "Furniture City" of the US, Grand Rapids receives the |
| business and home owners in the city. The local | | | | largest curbside recycling program and could be the |
| government is making every effort to support the | | | | country's "Green City," as well. |