Blue pallets usually identify wooden pallets that are part of the CHEP (Commonwealth Handling Equipment Pool). That`s the verdict of Pooling Partners, a pan-European company based at Meriden Business Park in Coventry, which produces more than 20 million pallets a year. Personally, I choose not to use pallets where I cannot see the marking for firewood. It is the regulations that require heat treatment for wooden pallets, also known as pest control. It applies to transport between the EU and the rest of the world. ISPM 15 applies to all pallet wood, wooden sleeves and boxes. From 1 January, we will have to comply with the international ISPM 15 standard for all pallets to and from the UK, as we will be classified as third countries. Pallet wood burns differently depending on the type of wood the pallet is made of. Pallets can be made from conifers such as pine and spruce. But can also be made from hardwoods such as oak and poplar.
But we can safely say that pallet wood burns hot and fast. Painted pallets should not be used for firewood at all. And should also be left in place if you encounter them. Most likely, there are toxic chemicals in the paint, which are released when burned. And it`s not worth taking the risk of using painted pallets when there are so many «clean» pallets available. In general, wooden pallets can be burned safely, but you need to be very careful about this. Many pallets contain nails in the wood and are covered with earth or sometimes even sand. If you hit a nail or saw through a dirty pallet while sawing, your tools will dull extremely quickly. And it will happen if you disassemble a lot of pallets. You don`t always see the nail on the surface of the wood. In the United States, this marking process has caused a previously unforeseen problem. Pallets repaired in the country must be heat treated and recertified with the ISPM 15 mark removed, but they can sometimes be overlooked.
Text modified for clarity: «You can burn less than 50 kg of waste as fuel in 1 hour.» The value of firewood treated from pallets depends entirely on the user`s situation. In a perfect world, everyone would have access to large amounts of well-seasoned hickory firewood, which generates heat for a long time. But this is not the case. I know this article is 18 months old, but I think I should comment. Methane bromide has not been used in pallets for years. I don`t remember seeing an MB pallet for over 10 years and I move more than 4000 a week. If there is no buffer, it only means that it has not been heat treated and can be burned safely, without obvious signs of contamination. The fact that pallets are already cut into small pieces and we break them down into even smaller pieces of wood contributes to the fact that wood burns faster.
Small pieces of wood burn faster. Wooden, metal or plastic pallets are used to ship goods domestically and internationally. However, to be used for international trade and shipping, wooden pallets must be handled. The International Standards for Phytosanitary Measures 15 (known as ISPM 15) establish guidelines for the treatment of wooden pallets. According to Phil Storer, director of Pooling Partners UK and Ireland, the use of pallets in Guy Fawke`s night fires is costing the British economy millions of pounds it cannot afford. Your local recycling center will almost certainly be able to recycle your pallets. These can be turned into mulch for landscaping, shredded for papermaking, or reused as building materials. More recycled wood means less waste and fewer trees to cut down. I am sure you will agree that this makes sense on all levels. Pallets can be found everywhere, and most of the time you can get them for free. Wouldn`t it be great if we could use wood from pallets as firewood? Well, we will answer that in this article. Can you burn pallet wood in an indoor fireplace, outdoor fireplace or fireplace? In addition, heat treatment is considered the best type of treatment for ISPM 15.
Other treatments such as chemical fumigation have actually led to recalls in the food and pharmaceutical industries due to traces of chemicals. Chemical fumigation can also leave an unpleasant odor that is undesirable. This is another reason why heat treatment is so important and considered the best and safest way to comply with ISPM 15. ISPM 15 heat treatment eliminates insects and larvae, reduces moisture content and makes pallet handling safe. These options are preferable to outdoor incineration as they lead to the recovery of waste instead of disposal.