14 WESTERN PALLET
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entering landfills, emphasizing the difference between arriving at a landfill, and entering a landfill. The data showed that the number of wood pallets entering MSW and C&D landfills shrunk dramatically between 1998 and 2016, decreasing from around 178.5 million in 1998 to 25.39 million in 2016.
Furthermore, the study showed that if wood packaging does make it to a landfill, it is often recovered and reused as a biodegradable material. The results also indicate that since 1998, facilities have increased their wood and wood pallet recovery areas. For MSW facilities, this number increased from 33% to 62% of facilities, while for C&D facilities, the number increased from roughly 27% to 45%. Reports also revealed that non-treated wood and wood pallets are often used as top-cover material for the landfill, using this biodegradable material for a sustainable solution.
In addition to this, the analysis found the number of separated and recycled pallets increased from about 38 million to 41 million. This difference indicates that landfills are expanding their efforts to recover and recycle wood pallets into
other valuable products such as mulch, animal bedding, or biofuel.
In other words, wood packaging is the most sustainable choice. The study
shows that the increased environmental awareness of companies and the
emerging zero-landfill policies, which prevent companies from sending packaging materials to landfills, are making a difference.
Share the 2018 Landfill Avoidance survey results with your customers, including specific data charts. Visit palletcentral.com/landfillavoidance or naturespackaging.org to learn more.
The Pallet Foundation funds projects, such as the landfill avoidance survey, which benefit the wood packaging industry. Learn more about the foundation at palletcentral.com/palletfoundation.
Project Focus: Landfill Avoidance