Pressed/Moulded Wood Pallets

Hey folks. Still pretty new to gardening/growing. I was wondering if these compressed wood pallets would be safe for use in my compost? The suppliers website claims they are 92% coniferous and 8% other agents. They are made from Class B wood and are listed as 100% recyclable.

What do we think? Good, bad, or somewhere in between? I appreciate any help.

Best regards.

The devil is in the details …and that 8%.

I know!!! From my readings, Class B is primarily reserved for “industrial composting.” On the company website they specifically say that the 8% is “binders of different qualities,” but that doesn’t really clarify.

Was hoping to put these things to some use and get my hands on some cheap mulch but probably better to be safe.

I appreciate your response, John!

Maybe better used to start the chimey/fire..? The 8% probably burns nicely

I don't believe there is a "standard" process yet adopted for the creation of molded wood pallets so I would err on the side of caution and not compost them personally.

I have seen these pallets utilize glues/adhesives that are not compost friendly to hold the particulates together.

What is used to "glue" that stuff together?

Is that something you would want a lot of in your compost pile?

Do you have enough green matter to go with all that brown matter?

If the material can be composted, but requires industrial composting, in a backyard *would expect it to either not break down at all, or leave inert particles behind.
It seems unlikely it will break down into something harmful.

I would probably use it like a tarp, to kill off grass in places I want to plant.
This will give you a chance to see how normal weathering affects it, while keeping it in one piece for now.

Doing a little reading about them online, they don't look like something I'd admit to my garden.

Christopher Weeks wrote:Doing a little reading about them online, they don't look like something I'd admit to my garden.

Following your lead, they do seem to use resin, so it's closer to mdf or hdf board than hardboard.
(Hardboard is just pressed wood, with no glues.)
Very disappointing.
I don't think they are compostable in any real sense.
Like even if they meet industry standards, we all know that might not mean it's something we want in our ecosystem.