Pallets landfilled in the US, 1998 vs 2016
Virginia Tech's survey of US municipal solid waste landfills estimated about 13.1 million pallets were landfilled in 2016, over 90% fewer than the 138 million in 1998, while about 15.9 million were recovered, repurposed or reused at the surveyed facilities, down from 22 million (Shiner, 2018; BioResources 16(1), 2021).
Findings
| Measure | 1998 | 2016 |
|---|---|---|
| Pallets landfilled at MSW landfills | 138 million | about 13.1 million |
| Pallets recovered, repurposed or reused at surveyed MSW facilities | 22 million | about 15.9 million |
How the study worked
The researchers surveyed licensed MSW facilities in the continental US by mail with an online option, building on Virginia Tech surveys from 1995 and 1998. The thesis notes that the South received 75% of all wood landfilled and 69% of all wood recovered in the sample.
The industry's broader figure of 25.39 million pallets landfilled in 2016 adds C&D landfills to the MSW estimate (Pallet Foundation).
Earlier work
A 2001 Forest Service article by Bush, Corr and Araman estimated the pallet industry received 171 million pallets for reuse and recycling in 1995 and just short of 300 million in 1999, more than a third of the material used for pallets that year (Treesearch).
Limits
- Survey responses are extrapolated nationally; response rates and regional weighting affect the totals.
- A pallet 'recovered' at a landfill can still end up ground or burned; the category doesn't mean reuse.
Sources
- Investigation of Disposal and Recovery of Wood and Wood Packaging in the United States (M.S. thesis) Virginia Tech (Z. P. Shiner, 2018). Accessed October 27, 2026. Published in peer-reviewed form as Shiner, Horvath, Araman and Gething, BioResources 16(1): 1496–1522 (2021).
- Landfill Avoidance (March 2018) Pallet Foundation (industry body). Accessed October 27, 2026. Industry publication. Always attributed.
- Fewer pallets reaching landfills, more are processed for recovery USDA Forest Service Treesearch (Bush, Corr and Araman, Pallet Enterprise 21(5), 2001). Accessed October 27, 2026.