Pallet recycling is far more sophisticated than most people realize. At Riverside Pallet Co., our facility processes over 10,000 pallets per day using a combination of manual expertise and automated systems.
The process begins at collection. Our fleet of trucks picks up used pallets from warehouses, distribution centers, and manufacturing facilities across Southern California. We accept pallets in any condition — from barely used to severely damaged.
Upon arrival at our facility, pallets are sorted into three streams: reusable, repairable, and recyclable. This initial sorting is performed by experienced team members who can evaluate a pallet's condition in seconds based on visual inspection and structural testing.
Reusable pallets (approximately 20% of incoming stock) need only minor cleaning and inspection before they're graded and made available for sale. These are our highest-quality recycled products.
Repairable pallets (approximately 50%) are sent to our repair line. Skilled technicians replace damaged boards, reinforce weak points, and restore each pallet to the quality standard of its assigned grade. We use reclaimed lumber from dismantled pallets wherever possible.
Recyclable pallets (approximately 30%) are too damaged for repair but still have valuable materials. These are dismantled: good boards are salvaged for repair stock, and remaining wood is processed through our industrial chipper to produce wood chips for landscaping, animal bedding, and biomass fuel.
Metal fasteners — nails, screws, and staples — are separated using magnetic systems and sent to metal recyclers. Even the sawdust from our operations is collected and compressed into fuel pellets.
The result: a 98% material recovery rate where virtually nothing goes to waste. It's a process we're incredibly proud of, and one we're constantly improving.