Services · ♻️
Pallet Recycling
Recycling a pallet isn't one action — it's a cascade. Every step wrings more use out of the same board before it's ever considered waste. That cascade is the whole company.
Our recycling program keeps wood in service as long as physically possible. Cores are repaired and resold; unrepairable pallets are dismantled for parts and remanufactured units; the final scraps become mulch and biomass fuel. Nothing collected goes to a landfill.
Request a quote
Every field routes straight to our yard team. Tell us the product, the volume, and where you are — we reply by email within one business day.
How it works
Three steps, no runaround.
Collect & sort
Cores come in from customers and removal routes and are triaged by size and condition.
Repair or remanufacture
Sound pallets are repaired; damaged ones are broken down and rebuilt from reclaimed boards.
Grind the remainder
What truly can't be rebuilt is ground into landscaping mulch and biomass — zero to landfill.
Why us
What you get
Fifteen years of doing this in Cincinnati, distilled into a service you can rely on.
- 100% landfill diversion on collected wood
- Documented environmental impact for ESG reporting
- Lower disposal costs than dumpster hauling
- Supports a genuine circular supply chain
- Keeps hardwood in service for years longer
- Every by-product has a downstream use — nothing wasted
- Local, closed-loop program run from our own Este Ave yard
- Pairs with buy-back so recyclable pallets can also pay you
The cascade, step by step
Reuse beats recycling, and recycling beats disposal. We apply that order relentlessly. A pallet is reused whole if possible, repaired if needed, remanufactured if the frame is gone, and only ground once every board has given all it can.
For businesses with sustainability commitments, we can document the tonnage we divert on your behalf — real numbers for real reports, not vague green claims.
This cascade isn't a side program — it's the whole company, and has been since 2009. Wood that refuses to retire.
- Reuse — sound pallets are cleaned, sorted, and put straight back into service
- Repair — replace cracked stringers, loose deckboards, and missing leadboards
- Remanufacture — rebuild serviceable 'combo' pallets from salvaged parts
- Reclaim — sell de-nailed boards, blocks, and runners to builders and makers
- Grind — clean scrap becomes landscaping mulch and biomass fuel
- Zero to landfill — every stream downstream of collection has a real use
Where recycled wood ends up
A recycled pallet rarely 'becomes trash' — it becomes several useful things. The frame goes back to work, the good boards feed repairs and custom builds, character boards go to woodworkers, and the final scraps become mulch spread on Cincinnati gardens and fuel for biomass boilers.
That's what makes the 100% diversion claim honest rather than aspirational: there's a home for every part of the pallet, so nothing needs a dumpster.
Recycling for businesses with ESG goals
If your operation reports on waste diversion, our program gives you numbers you can stand behind. Set up a recurring account and we can provide tonnage and diversion figures for your reporting period.
It also tends to cost less than dumpster hauling — you stop paying by weight to bury reusable hardwood, and recyclable pallets in the mix can even earn a buy-back credit.
Good questions
Pallet Recycling FAQ
Do you really send nothing to landfill?
Correct. Wood we collect is reused, remanufactured, or ground for mulch and biomass. Every by-product has a downstream use, so nothing collected needs a dumpster.
Can you report diversion numbers for our ESG filing?
Yes. Set up a recurring account and we can provide tonnage and diversion figures for your reporting period — real numbers, not vague green claims.
What happens to a pallet that can't be repaired?
It's dismantled. Sound boards, stringers, and blocks go to repairs, custom builds, and reclaimed-wood buyers; the rest is ground into landscaping mulch and biomass fuel. Nothing is landfilled.
Is recycling cheaper than throwing pallets in a dumpster?
Usually. A roll-off charges by weight to bury reusable hardwood; our program diverts it instead, and any sellable pallets in the pile can offset the cost or earn a buy-back credit.
Do you recycle other wood packaging, not just pallets?
We focus on pallets, but crates, collars, skids, and clean wood packaging are often recyclable through the same streams. Email us what you have and we'll tell you what we can take.
How do I start a recycling arrangement?
Email info@cincinnatipallet.com with your location, rough monthly volume, and whether you want one-time or recurring service. We reply within one business day — no phone tag.
Does recycled material come back to us as new products?
It can. The same closed loop that recycles your pallets is where our recycled and remanufactured pallets, reclaimed boards, and mulch come from, so you can buy back the circle you help feed.
Let's put your pallets back to work.
Buying, selling, recycling, or hauling — one form, one business-day reply, zero phone tag.