Guides · September 1, 2026 · 4 min read
Where do wooden shipping crates go? Reuse vs landfill
Crates are built to last. Here’s why most still end up chipped or buried, and how to give yours a second life.
Wooden shipping crates are built to protect heavy, valuable things on long journeys. That makes them sturdy. It also makes it strange that so many of them get used once and thrown away.
Where most crates end up
When a crate has done its job, it usually becomes a problem: it takes up dock space, it’s awkward to move, and nobody owns getting rid of it. So it often goes in a bin, where it’s chipped, burned or buried.
Why that’s a waste
A good crate still has plenty of life left. Breaking it down throws away the wood, the work that went into building it, and the energy it would take to make a new one.
The reuse-first alternative
- Reuse as is. Sound crates can go straight back into service as packaging. In one Winnipeg project, 120 crates were reused as sea-cargo packaging.
- Repair or repurpose. Crates with minor damage can be fixed or turned into something else.
- Recycle. Wood that can’t be reused can often be recycled.
- Dispose responsibly. Only as a last resort.
How to make it easy
- Set up a standing pickup so crates never pile up on your dock.
- Keep crates dry and stacked so they stay reusable.
- Ask for a record of where they went, so you can report it.
Have crates or pallets leaving your site? Get a quote and we’ll find them a second life.
