The volume threshold
Below roughly two thousand pallets a month, scheduled collection works fine. Above it, a site starts spending real labour on pallet handling that nobody has ever measured — receiving crews stacking, sorting, restacking and moving piles to make room.
We measure it during a site survey and the number usually surprises people. Two to three full-time-equivalent hours a day is common at a mid-sized distribution centre.
Week one: bins, signage and a toolbox talk
We install labelled bins for A, B, core and non-wood, positioned so they do not block dock traffic. Then we run a 90-minute session with the receiving team covering what goes where and, more importantly, why.
The 'why' part matters. A crew that understands a core pallet becomes mulch sorts better than a crew that has been handed a laminated card.
Steady state: crews, cadence and a published standard
Two to six of our sorters arrive on a fixed cadence — daily, weekly or resident depending on volume — and grade against the same written standard we use in our own yard. Your team stops making grading decisions entirely.
The crews are ours, insured by us, supervised by us. We carry $2M general liability and workers' comp and the certificates go on file before day one.
The commercial model that surprises people
The service fee is offset against the value of recovered pallets. At sites with a good grade mix, the arrangement is net positive — we pay them, rather than the reverse, while also removing the labour.
At sites with poor grade mix it is a modest net cost that still beats internal handling plus disposal. We model both honestly before proposing anything.
What the monthly report contains
Units by grade. Revenue returned. Weight diverted from landfill. CO₂e avoided using our published method. Per site, per month, in a format procurement and sustainability teams can both use.
That report is frequently the thing that makes the arrangement permanent. It converts an operational nuisance into a documented outcome.