Have you ever seen wooden pallets sitting outside of a commercial building? Have you ever wondered what happens to them?
In some cases, the pallets are recycled or sold to someone who can use them. A lot of the time, though, they end up in the garbage - approximately 150 million of them per year. Wooden pallets are a massive drain on resources and a huge burden on the waste disposal system.
So why not give them a new life? Some businesses are happy to get rid of their wooden pallets. If they normally pay to have them hauled to the landfill, they will be happy for you to take the pallets for no charge.
What can you do with pallets? Realistically, they aren’t the highest quality wood you’ll ever find. However, they are good enough for inexpensive furniture and decorations when you can’t afford to buy pre-made…or if you’re a believer in the dorm-room school of design.
Below, we’ve gathered our favorite links that will give you new and interesting ways to use those wooden pallets. Some of these projects may not be appropriate for certain climates. If you are thinking of using wood obtained from pallets for an outside project, be sure to treat the wood first to protect it from the elements.
1. Keep the good critters in and the bad critters out: build a pallet fence.
2. Make an inexpensive shed for storage.
pallet birdhouse
3. Earn some money while you’re recycling! Make these rustic bird houses.
4. Need a temporary emergency shelter? Here’s now to make one from discarded pallets.
5. Get control of your compost heap with this excellent compost bin using pallets and a few inexpensive pieces of hardware.
6. Make some almost-free planters for your gardening endeavors.
pallet chicken coop
7. Build a chicken coop to house those unruly little cluckers.
8. If the pallets are made of untreated wood, use them as a free fuel your indoor or outdoor fire.
9. Not into gardening, animal keeping, or burning stuff? Make some unique and beautiful art with your pallets.
10. Make an attractive table for your home! Or try this one or this one.
11. Don’t spend big money on an expensive computer desk. Just build your own from discarded pallets!
12. Put them on the ground outside to keep plants or firewood elevated.
These are just a few of the many creative uses for old wooden pallets. Do you know of any other bright ideas to keep pallets out of landfills and make something useful and/or beautiful? Let us know below in the comments!