The Secret Economy of Pallets

A listener spots a woman claiming a pallet outside a shop and wonders: can you just take those? The answer depends entirely on the pallet’s color, stamp, and ownership. We break down the hidden economy of wooden pallets — from CHEP’s RFID-tracked blue pallets worth $25 each, to the $15 billion US used-pallet market, to the DIY crafters who build furniture from discarded hardwood. Plus: how to read a pallet’s IPPC stamp like a passport, and why that Euro box system might not fit an American pallet.