10 Ways to Reuse Old Pallets

Old wooden pallets, used when items are shipped to stores and other business, can be reused in many ways, meaning they do not have to end up in landfills or be left in a yard to take up space and look bad. Look around your property and inside your home for ways to repurpose these items.

There are two types of wooden pallet that you may have on hand. The first is the sturdy type. The second is the not so sturdy type. Both have their uses.

To begin, you will disassemble the pallet. When doing so, organize the wood and keep the reusable nails in a large can. Don't leave things laying around where someone might trip over them, and keep them organized by size. You will use both the wood and the nails for future projects.

Sturdy Pallets

1. A few pallets, that have not been taken apart, can be used to create a simple compost area. Attach two sides to a back and you are done. Place this where it will be easily accessible to your garden area.

2. A bench seat might be made using three or four pieces of the same size wood.

3. Raised garden beds can be made and placed where you want to grow vegetables, herbs or flowers. Set the bed on the ground and fill it with organic soil, then plant what you want. Make beds in the shapes of squares and rectangles.

4. Make a small table for use as an end table in the living room.

5. Build a small bookcase to place in the bedroom.

Not so Sturdy Pallets

1. The wood from these pallets will enable you to build small planters shaped like squares and triangles. Add a bottom to each planter, leaving the smallest space between each for drainage purposes. Fill with organic soil, and plant flowers in them for the deck. Or, use the planters to grow herbs, lining them along a walkway.

2. Use these to build crates for apple picking, or for lining multiple berry containers in while picking any type of berry.

3. Build storage boxes for lightweight items. Make a top, and these boxes will be stackable. Your fragile belongings will not end up broken if packed correctly.

Broken Pallets

1. Cut the smaller size pieces of wood to the same size and put together small, open-top boxes for organizing nails, screws and other items in your workshop.

2. Use broken and rotting wood pieces the next time you have a bonfire. Just throw them in the pile with the other items you will burn.

Consider the many other ways to repurpose these pallets, and add them to your list of possibilities. There are numerous other projects for which pallet wood will come in handy.