How to Dispose of Pallets: The UK Options
Skipping pallets is wasteful and expensive. Here are the six real ways to get rid of surplus pallets in the UK: what each pays, what's legal, and what to avoid.
The short answer
Sell them. A licensed pallet reconditioner (like us at Palltech) will collect most UK pallets for free and pay cash for anything usable. Cash for pallets is nearly always better than paying for a skip.
The six disposal options
- Sell to a reconditioner (best option): free collection, cash paid for anything resellable. Grade A pays £3-£6 each; Grade B £2-£3; Grade C often zero or small handling fee. Paid same-day in most UK regions.
- Free pallet collection for scrap (second best): a licensed recycler takes them away at zero cost even if not resellable. You avoid landfill/skip charges and tick ESG sustainability boxes.
- Give them away locally: Gumtree, Facebook Marketplace or direct to neighbouring businesses. Works for small volumes (under 20 pallets) but time-consuming.
- Recycle via a licensed wood recycler: chipped for biomass, animal bedding or MDF. Zero landfill, tiny carbon footprint. Often bundled with option 2.
- Burn as fuel (conditional): safe ONLY for heat-treated (HT) pallets. Methyl-bromide (MB) pallets release toxic fumes when burned. Must also be in a licensed burning facility, not in open air, under UK Clean Air Act rules.
- Skip or landfill (worst option): costs £200-£600 for a skip, plus you pay landfill tax and any nails removed fines. Last resort only.
Which option fits your situation?
If you have 10+ pallets that look at all usable: call a pallet reconditioner. You'll get paid, free collection, and one trip off your site.
If you have 100+ pallets regularly: set up a standing collection agreement. Most reconditioners (including us) will schedule weekly or monthly pickups on contract.
If you have broken pallets only: free scrap collection via a licensed recycler. We do this through our pallet collection service across the North West.
If you have fewer than 10 pallets: Gumtree or Facebook Marketplace will usually clear them within a week. Don't expect cash for this volume.
Legal points to know
Pallets are classified as non-hazardous waste (unless contaminated). UK businesses have a Duty of Care under the Environmental Protection Act 1990 to ensure pallets are disposed of via a licensed carrier. Always get a waste transfer note from whoever collects them. Skipping an uncertified carrier risks fly-tipping liability.
Heat-treated ISPM15 pallets are safe to burn in licensed wood-burning boilers. Methyl bromide pallets (MB stamp) were fumigated with toxic gas and must never be burned. See our HT vs MB stamps guide for how to tell them apart.
Pallet disposal: common questions
Yes, across most of the UK provided you have enough volume. At Palltech we do free collection on 50+ pallets in the North West, and will pay cash on-site for anything resellable. Smaller volumes are usually free to drop off at our Widnes depot, or we'll batch with another nearby job.
Depends on condition, quantity and location. Grade A UK standards fetch £3-£6 each in 2026; Grade B £2-£3; Grade C often zero or a small handling fee. Euro EPAL pays more: Grade A EPAL £6-£10. Volume matters: 500 pallets beats 50.
Technically yes for broken unrepairable ones, but it's the most expensive option (commercial waste rates + landfill tax). For anything still usable, selling or free-collection is always cheaper and better for sustainability reporting.
Conditional. Heat-treated pallets are safe to burn in a licensed wood-burning boiler. Burning in open air violates UK Clean Air Act restrictions on commercial premises. Methyl bromide pallets must never be burned (toxic). Treat pallet wood like any other construction waste wood for burning rules.
They become feedstock. Repairable parts are stripped for use in other rebuilds; unrepairable timber is chipped for biomass fuel, animal bedding or MDF manufacturing. At Palltech, zero pallets hit landfill. Every one is repaired, remanufactured or recycled.