Pallet pickup: clear the stack from your dock

Which clear-out is yours

What to write down

• A count, even if you are guessing.
• How high it is stacked and whether it is on a dock or the ground.
• What is mixed in: shrink wrap, banding, trash, food waste.
• How a truck reaches it: gate, ramp, narrow alley, snow.

Why a pile's condition matters

Sound pallets can be reused or rebuilt, so a clear-out of sound stock costs less than one of rubbish. Broken stock is lumber at best. A pile the weather has wrecked is worth even less. Salt Lake City sees about 60 inches of snow a season, so spring clear-outs often include stock that sat wet all winter; winter storage explains what that does.

Why not a junk hauler

Junk-removal companies treat a pallet as rubbish. A pallet can also be stock, which changes what happens to it and how the request should read. For the sensible route, see how to get rid of pallets.

Ask for a pickup

Put the count and the access in the request.

Start with the smallest true statement

You do not have to know the answer to send a question. "A big mixed pile behind the building, probably 200, some broken, some wet" is enough to start. A reply can ask for a photograph. What slows things is waiting until you have sorted and counted everything yourself.

• If you are unsure of a number, give a range.
• If you are unsure of a size, say "mostly standard".
• If access is awkward, say how, and which gate is tallest.
• If something dangerous is in the pile, say it first.

The more specific you are about the awkward parts, the less chance of a wasted trip.

What a pickup depends on

A truck needs a path, a place to stand and a way to load. A stack against a fence behind a locked gate is not the same job as a stack on a loading dock at truck height. Photos of the approach, the gate and the stack itself make the difference between a quick reply and a list of questions.

• Photograph the approach from the street.
• Photograph the gate and the stack beside it.
• Photograph the ground surface, especially if soft.
• Note any power lines or low trees.
• Say who can open the gate.

A weekly or one-time pile

One-time piles and weekly flows are different arrangements. A one-time pile is cleared and finished. A weekly flow becomes a routine, with a regular window and an agreed place for the empties. State which one you have in the first line of your message, because the answer takes a different shape for each.

Hazards to mention

• Pallets with chemical residue or oil stains.
• Pallets with protruding nails near walkways.
• Rodent nests under old stacks.
• Stacks leaning or tall enough to topple.

Mentioning a hazard does not disqualify a pile. It only means the hazard needs handling.

Questions people ask before they write

Many people hesitate because they think they must have the pile sorted first, priced in their heads or counted to the last pallet. None of that is necessary. A description that says "I do not know exactly" is better than silence, and a photograph answers most of what a paragraph could not.

Who this is for

Most clear-outs begin with a manager who needs floor space back. A lease ends, a project closes, an audit is coming or a neighbour has complained. In each case the pile is a problem with a date, and the date shapes the description. Put it in the first line if it is real: "need gone by the end of the month" is information a reply can use.