[darby]

Hi,

I have been given some pallets by my employer to build a compost bin with, but they are blue.

I have read that the blue ones are owned by a company, and they will prosecute you if they discover you have them.  

As far as I can see I have four options:

Return them
Destroy/burn them
Paint them another colour and use them
Use them as they are

What would you do? Does anyone actually know someone who has got into trouble for using them?

[Gwiz]

I'd not use them.
They are owned by a company, and they do charge if you damage/ destroy them.
There is usually some of the plain wood pallets knocking around if you wait a while.

[DavidT]

They are owned by GKN, and if you use them without permission, and inappropriately ,they will charge you something like £15 per pallet per week.

[Ice]

A fee like that seems unpalletable.

I'll get me coat.

[darby]

Thanks, I have returned them to work and got some plain ones now.

[gcorb]

Darby you neeed to return the pallets as it is illegal to use them. The pallets are rental only and remain the ownership of CHEP, if you repaint or use them you could be subject to prosecution.
if you call 0161 972 8171 the company will collect free of charge

Hope this helps

Hi,

I have been given some pallets by my employer to build a compost bin with, but they are blue.

I have read that the blue ones are owned by a company, and they will prosecute you if they discover you have them.  

As far as I can see I have four options:

Return them
Destroy/burn them
Paint them another colour and use them
Use them as they are

What would you do? Does anyone actually know someone who has got into trouble for using them?

[joyfull]

I think some may belong to another pallet company as well (possibly GKN) the correct companies name should be printed on the pallet.

[Steven Rowe]

Ill probally get a shouting after this but id just paint them and use them, ive had 100's of those threw my hands over the years, and no one seems to care about them,most of the slabs and stone i use come on these,i ask the supplys if they want them back and most of the answers are "just burn them or skip them" ive even had a "if you return them we'll have to charge you a small handleing fee"

[Yorkie]

Yes, Steven, you are going to get a shouting at 

Doing what you suggest (without first asking the owner company of the blue pallets) is just not on - in fact it's probably theft - and we do not condone breaking the law, or encouraging others to do so, on this forum.

There.  End of shout. 

[arugula]

Round this part of the country the blue pallets are the responsibility of/owned by CHEP. They phone up quite regularly (invariably when one is single-handedly minding the fort and therefore without time for protracted and pointless phone conversations) to arrange collection then they never turn up to take them away! 

[Steven Rowe]

Round this part of the country the blue pallets are the responsibility of/owned by CHEP. They phone up quite regularly (invariably when one is single-handedly minding the fort and therefore without time for protracted and pointless phone conversations) to arrange collection then they never turn up to take them away! 

Thats what the build centre/keyline tell me when i try to hand them back

[stompy]

I would have just used them.

I had 4 given to me by my employer too.
Someone on my site told me much the same thing as yorkie.
So i rang the owners on more than one occation to come pick them up. they still havn't been and it's 4 years on now.

There are thousand of them laid around broken at roadsides, on waste ground all over. they don't seem to want those ones either.
And darby, as your employer gave you them, surely he/she would be liable to pay any charges, not you 

[spud]

Perhaps you could have sold them on? Blue ones are worth cash money!

Cheers

 

[2peasinapod]

my local "we buy any pallet" type place wont touch em.

[compostqueen]

I have some on my plot, been there for years, at the back of my shed where I use them for storing all sorts of things on. No blue pallet police have ever turned up to claim em back, or are they ever likely to.

If I am a criminal, then I shall turn myself in at once. I'm sure the police would be really interested