In our rapidly moving digital era, we as consumers are constantly surrounded by things that have been manufactured away from nature. With every new product that is marketed to us, there is an argument for it being better than its more natural counterparts.
Many of these “nature-defying” products actually contain or are made up of plastics. While some favosplastic usage can be considered environmentally friendly, excessive use almost always has negative impacts on the environment and health.
Plastic pollution in the ocean is a growing concern due to it taking many years for most marine life to decompose it. There are several ways that plastic gets into our oceans; manufacturing processes like compressing plastics to make them denser contribute to this. The gory truth about what happens to all those leftover bits of plastic once they enter the water is not pretty!
This article will talk about one type of plastic – plastic pallets. What makes them different from wooden ones is how they are constructed. More importantly, let’s look at some alternatives to see if there is anything better when it comes to using plastic lumber.
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Plastic Pallets are Less Likely to Damage Products
While plastic pallets can be expensive, they do not contain any harmful chemicals that could leach into your inventory or packaging. This is because most plastic does not break down easily; it goes through many steps to be recycled.
Plastic recycling requires special equipment and technology so almost all of the energy comes from electricity. There are some instances where heat is needed in the process but this is usually cost-effective due to the large amount of waste being processed.
Since there are no metals involved, plastic pallets will never rust nor decay. This means they last much longer than wooden ones which need to be maintained regularly. Because they are lighter weight, you will save money in shipping costs when using plastic instead of wood.
However, since plastic is a non-conductive material, it cannot hold as much power as a metal source such as a forklift. If you are looking for very heavy load capacity, then you will want to look into alternative materials like steel or aluminum.
Plastic Pallets are Less Likely to Damage Your Products
One of the biggest issues that plastic pallets face is how much heat they create when being used in heavy transportation or recycling. When you pack lots of product in a given area, this can have some disastrous consequences.
Plastic does not conduct electricity very well, which is why many think it is safer than wood. However, research has shown that this assumption is false!
When plastics get hot enough, they become increasingly vulnerable to chemical breakdown, which means there could be harmful chemicals like phthalates leaching out and potentially harming people or our environment.
This article will talk more about the risks of using plastic pallets, as well as some alternatives.
Plastic Pallets are More Durable Than Wood Pallets
As mentioned before, plastic is a great material to use for pallets because they can be recycled easily. Because they are not as dense or strong of a material, you will need to make sure that you check them frequently to see if they have started to break down.
Plastic does, however, cost slightly more per unit than wooden ones. This could be due to the fact that it takes longer to produce therefore it costs more to manufacture each one.
But overall, these plastic pallets last much longer than wooden ones! They do not get as dirty or grubby which helps keep their quality intact. If your business requires a lot of moving around or heavy lifting, this factor may matter to you.
Plastic Pallets are Less Likely to Damage Your Products
One of the biggest issues that plastic pallets face is how much they hurt the products you pack in them! The plastic can become stuck or glued onto the surface of your product, which requires more effort to remove it.
If you ever have to take off a plastic pallet, there are several ways to do so. The most common way is using strong chemicals and/or heat. However, this may cause additional problems as these chemicals can burn or corrode the wooden parts of the pallet.
Another option is taking very heavy hand pressure when pulling up on the top layer of the plastic. This could potentially break down the plastic enough for someone else to use it though, so it’s not necessarily a good idea.
The best solution is to invest in solid wood pallets. These will almost certainly be easier to work with than plastic ones due to their lighter weight. They also tend to cost around the same price, if not a little bit more, depending on the type of wood used. get more
Plastic Pallets are More Secure Than Wood Pallets
As we mentioned before, plastic is a great alternative to wooden pallets. This is particularly true when you want to protect your goods from water or dirt exposure. Due to their thickness, plastic pallets can also be much heavier than wooden ones.
However, some experts believe that plastic pallets may not as durable as wooden ones. Because they are thinner, plastic pallets can easily break down due to constant moving. Since most people use them for shipping perishable products, this does not matter too much unless you plan to re-use the pallet.
Also, because they are lighter weight, it takes less effort to drag one across the ground or up an incline. This could potentially cause damage to the pallet or the product being shipped in case of breaking.
Plastic Pallets are Also More Visible
Due to their thin profile, plastic pallets can be used in many similar applications that wooden ones can. This includes accessible storage at your destination or work locations, easy transport from one location to another, and overall lower cost due to there being no longer need for a warehouse space to house extra inventory.
Most major warehouses use plastic pallets exclusively because they are less expensive than wood pallets. Although they may not last as long, they will still get the job done until you find yourself with an empty shelf.
While it is better to use recyclable materials, most plastics can easily recycled again so this matter isnt too important unless you are very careful with how much you use them!
The thickness of a plastic pallet does make a difference though- thicker pallets take longer to breakdown and recycle which could add up over time. It is recommended to look for light weight plastic pallets to prevent this.
Wood Pallets can Damage Products
As mentioned before, wooden pallets are an excellent way to source new wood product packaging or crate material. However, like any tool, they have benefits and drawbacks depending on what you will be using them for.
One of the major disadvantages is that wooden crates typically need to air-dry after cutting in order to prevent moisture from causing glue joints to fail. This could be problematic if your box contains dry content such as dried milk, flour, or sugar which require wet conditions to set properly.
Another drawback is that most raw lumber yards do not offer discounts on used pallets so buying individual pieces may cost more than buying a pack of twenty at one price!
There are some companies that re-purpose old pallets into non-wooden items but these may not be the best choice if you want a sturdy crate. Some plastic liners that go under the crate cannot be recycled easily either, making it wasteful to purchase them.
Pallets Should be Cleaned Regularly With a Soap and Water Solution
When using pallets for storage or yard work, it is important to make sure you are not using recycled plastic lumber as they may contain chemicals used in their manufacturing process.
Regularly cleaning your pallet will help prevent dirt, grime, and oils from sticking to the wood surface.
Using dry hands, scrape off any dried up adhesive that has left residue on the pallet. For really tough materials like plastic, use a brush to remove all of the material.
Never burn or melt down old plastic lumber! Even if the plastic is reclaimed, it can still contain chemicals so breathing air contaminated by smoke is not recommended.
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