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Wood and pallet landfill bans compared by state

Three states we have checked restrict landfilling pallets or wood: North Carolina bans wooden pallets from municipal landfills, and Massachusetts and Vermont ban clean wood more broadly. Other states may have rules we haven't checked yet.

Last reviewed October 27, 2026 by repallet.org editors. Not legal advice.

StateStatusLawIn forceKey point
MassachusettsLandfill ban310 CMR 19.0172006The waste-ban table lists wood with an effective date of July 1, 2006 for landfills and for transfer facilities, as a 'ban on disposal or transfer for disposal at landfills'.
North CarolinaPartial landfill banN.C. Gen. Stat. § 130A-309.10(f)(12)2009Wooden pallets are on the statute's list of materials that may not be disposed of in landfills, except that they may go to a landfill permitted to accept only construction and demolition debris.
VermontLandfill ban10 V.S.A. § 6621a(a)(10)2016Leaf and yard residuals and wood waste may not knowingly be disposed of in solid waste or in landfills after July 1, 2016.
Only states checked against the statute text are listed. 40 states are not yet checked.

Sources

  1. 310 CMR 19.017 Waste Bans Massachusetts DEP (text via Cornell LII). Accessed October 27, 2026.
  2. N.C. Gen. Stat. § 130A-309.10 (prohibited acts; disposal bans) North Carolina General Assembly. Accessed October 27, 2026.
  3. Wooden Pallets N.C. Department of Environmental Quality. Accessed October 27, 2026.
  4. 10 V.S.A. § 6621a Landfill disposal requirements Vermont General Assembly. Accessed October 27, 2026.
  5. 10 V.S.A. § 6602 Definitions Vermont General Assembly. Accessed October 27, 2026.

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