Pallets getting hard to come by

[RichnSteph]

Just noticed in the last few months that things like pallets and used privacy fence, etc... are getting harder and harder to pick up for free. Used to most folks threw them out with the trash. Then it was "free on the curb". Now it's "you had better get here in a hurry or someone else will get it first". On the way home from San Antonio yesterday we saw easily half a dozen folks stopped at different spots picking up used pallets and privacy fencing. Heck there is a place here in town that sells hot tubs and those things come in on 8x8 pallets and the company stacks them outside the gate Friday after they close and there are people there waiting to pick them up. At this rate I'll end up paying for lumber........

 

[OldMcContri]

In my area, craigslist is always a good source to look for pallets. There is also a site called freecycle.com that may be helpful in finding/asking for pallets. You can also try going by any new construction going on and asking if you can have their scrap wood.

 

[CrappieSlayer34]

Anything that use to be free or easy to come by is being scavenged by our friends from south of the border... they snatch it up like ants... if it can be useful or sold for pennies they take it....

They take them around here in Tulsa from placed they are not even suppose to take them from... makes it hard to get them even from places that use to give them out for free.

Pallets go for about 2 bucks each here in Tulsa,,, so yeah the southern non English folks snatch em up like free chocolate.

 

[MeepBeep]

Pallet recyclers in my area will pay $2 for every (unbranded) 40x48 pallet you bring them no matter condition, $4 if it's in 'as new' shape... You can now make some decent side money grabbing pallets, and some people are... So yep, just like many other things that people used to toss as they were mostly worthless is now being grabbed by those looking to make a buck... There are still plenty of the odd sized pallets to be found but at least in my area I will waste more gas going to get them then they are worth in wood... I have pretty much given up recycling pallet wood to build something, nowadays I just grab what I can and use it as firewood...

For cheap build wood as of late I have been just hitting up the local Home Depots when I drive by, they clearance all the 'bad' wood for 70% off... Yeah some of it is utter garbage but some is fine with a little TLC... For example I picked up twenty 16' 2x4s the other day for $1.90 each... Most of them were warped near the ends, so I can cut them into perfect 4, 8 , 10, 12, or even 14 foot lengths... I also regularly get wider x10 or x12 boards that are cracked and rip them into usable x4, x6, x8 boards...