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August 16, 2012
The Palletization of the Globe
Pallets are arguably as integral to globalization as containers.For an invisible object, they are everywhere: There are said to be billions circulating through global supply chain (2 billion in the United States alone). Some 80 percent of all U.S. commerce is carried on pallets. So widespread is their use that they account for, according to one estimate, more than 46 percent of total U.S. hardwood lumber production. -- Pallets: The single most important object in the global economy
Posted by gerardvanderleun at August 16, 2012 5:29 PM. This is an entry on the sideblog of American Digest: Check it out.
Your Say
They have been making plastic pallets for 20+ years. Inferior landfill clogging plastic pallets. OF course I don't work in shipping/receiving anymore so I don't care. Wood pallets burn better and are less toxic.
Posted by: Mike at August 17, 2012 7:18 AM
How many discarded pallets would I need to build a 1 BR cottage? :-)
Posted by: Don Rodrigo at August 17, 2012 9:00 AM
Depends on how nice you want the cottage to be.
Posted by: Mike at August 17, 2012 11:20 AM
I have dismantled a few pallets in my day. Seldom an easy chore. The wood is usually unusable except for utilitarian jobs (stakes, parts boxes, rough frames, etc.) but it always makes excellent fire wood.
Posted by: Jimmy J. at August 17, 2012 3:59 PM