Proper pallet disposal?

Around here (PA) we have many people that use pallets to heat their homes. They have an outdoor furnace that is large enough to slide wooden pallets into. Google it and I am sure something will come up. So it is possible that this is what is happening, Or, he could be tearing them apart and using the wood for chicken houses feed boxes, the choices are endless actually, Is this something that actually affects you personally, or are you just REALLY REALLY concerned that the wood is being discarded in a "ditch"?

Searcher

I'm really concerned they are being thrown in a ditch

These pallets come form a chrome plating facility with chrome residue and potential acids on them

I burn 'em in my chimenea on my deck.

Ok, Well that I can understand, I would want metal residue leaching into my ground water either.

Searcher

If, indeed, you "know for a fact" that he is burning them or disposing of them improperly, you should turn him in to the state health department.

Do you have pictures? Witnesses? Other non-controvertible proof?

Even if he was burning them/disposing improperly, it is not the farmers fault, the OP's employer is at fault for not using a certified hazardous waste disposal facility.

scott

I agree. And the idea is that the State Health Dept will discover where farmer Brown is getting his pallets and proceed accordingly. Farmer Brown is the small fish and quite likely to expose the company involved to cut himself a deal.

That's probably why his post headers have been so very well cleaned.

er

Yes, someone knows.

start here,

Well then I suspect one of two things...

I suspect your company has an obligation (under some law or regulatory commission) to dispose of them per some already established and approved method. If there is a hazardous waste issue at hand then you're already regulated - you need to check into the regulations.

-or-

I suspect that your concern is something of a ruse.

I would say your company and the farmer could get into deep dodo over this. Oscar Meyer makes 30% of it's hot dogs at a local plant. They were disposing of the casings by dumping them at a local farm.. They were then covered with dirt but not to the satisfaction of MO Dept or Nat'l Resources... my son was a heavy equipment operator with the company that got the $650,000 job of covering the wiener casings properly.... guess who paid the bill????