Issue link: http://palletcentral.uberflip.com/i/973524
14 PalletCentral • March-April 2018 palletcentral.com Landfill Avoidance Survey In this landfill avoidance study, both municipal and solid waste (MSW) and construction and demolition (C&D) landfill facilities were surveyed to better understand how pallets were being handled at these facilities. Data of this kind had not been collected since 1998. When studying this topic, it is important to understand that there is a distinction between what material arrives versus what material enters the landfill. Limited space and a desire to be more waste efficient has driven many of these facilities to sort and recover certain types of waste. Given the biodegradable nature of wood and wood pallets, they are a prime candidate for this type of activity. The results of the study 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 27% to 45%. Furthermore, reports revealed that non-treated wood and wood pallets are used as top-cover material for the landfill, utilizing this biodegradable material for a sustainable solution. The overall presence of wood pallets at MSW and C&D landfill facilities has also significantly decreased, both in the number of pallets arriving and ultimately being landfilled. For both MSW and C&D facilities, the number of entering the landfill Quick Stats n Only 1.8% of all wood landfilled by a MSW landfill and 5.6% landfilled by a C&D landfill were wood pallets. n Only 25.39 million wooden pallets were landfilled in MSW and C&D landfills in 2016 compared to 178.5 million landfilled in 1998. n 62.4% of the MSW and 45.2% C&D landfills operated wood recovery areas. n 95% pallets were recovered into usable materials. Note: MSW (municipal and solid waste); C&D (construction and demolition) COVER STORY