2024 was a record year for our sustainability program. From recycling milestones to community partnerships, here is a summary of what we accomplished and what is ahead for 2025.
By the Numbers
In 2024, San Diego Pallet Co. recycled 18,400 pallets, bringing our cumulative total to over 52,000 pallets diverted from landfill since 2018. We recovered an estimated 92 tons of wood material for reuse and 3.2 tons of steel from metal fastener recovery. Our zero-landfill operation diverted 100% of incoming material to productive end uses: repair and resale, biomass energy, landscape mulch, and steel recycling.
Carbon Avoidance
Based on industry-standard calculations, our 2024 recycling and used pallet sales operations avoided an estimated 405,000 pounds of CO2 equivalent emissions. This is equivalent to taking approximately 37 passenger vehicles off the road for one year. We calculate this using EPA conversion factors for landfill diversion and the embodied carbon savings of reusing versus manufacturing new pallets.
Community Partnerships
Our partnership with the San Diego Reforestation Project continued to grow in 2024. We funded the planting of 52 native trees across three San Diego County watersheds, bringing our total to over 200 trees since the partnership began. We also donated 40 cubic yards of landscape mulch to community gardens and urban greening projects in underserved neighborhoods.
Operational Improvements
We invested in a new magnetic separation system that improved our nail recovery rate from 85% to 97%. This means cleaner mulch output and more steel diverted from waste streams. We also upgraded our chipping equipment to handle larger volumes more efficiently, reducing processing energy per ton by an estimated 15%.
Looking Ahead to 2025
Our 2025 sustainability goals include reaching 75,000 cumulative recycled pallets, expanding our biomass energy partnerships, piloting a solar panel installation at our facility, and launching a customer sustainability dashboard that provides real-time tracking of recycling metrics. We are committed to continuous improvement and transparency in our environmental stewardship.
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We've been working with pallets for over 12 years. We'll give you honest, practical advice — not a sales pitch. Email us at info@sandiegopallet.com or use the contact form below.
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