Free pallet collection
Free pallet collection in London: who actually does it, and when they say no
Some pallets in London get collected for nothing. Most of the ones a business actually wants rid of do not. This page sets out who offers free collection, the conditions they attach, and what happens to the stack that is left when they decline.
Short version: blue, red and brown pallets go back to their owner free. Clean standard pallets in volume go to a trader free, or for a payment. Everything else is a paid collection, and that is the part we do.
Short version: blue, red and brown pallets go back to their owner free. Clean standard pallets in volume go to a trader free, or for a payment. Everything else is a paid collection, and that is the part we do.
Blue, red and brown pallets go back free
Traders take clean standard pallets
Paid collection from £5 + VAT a pallet
Licensed Waste Carrier, CBDU466346
Transfer note every job
On this page
- Blue, red and brown pallets go back to their owner for nothing
- Pallet traders collect standard pallets free when there are enough good ones
- Free listings: putting pallets outside with a sign on them
- When free collection fails
- What paid pallet collection costs in London
- How to get a free collector to say yes to more of your stack
- Common questions
Pool pallets
Blue, red and brown pallets go back to their owner for nothing
These are pool pallets. They never belonged to you or to whoever delivered on them; the pooling company owns them and collects them. You cannot sell them, and a pallet trader will not take them.
| Colour | Owner | How to get them collected | What they say about free and minimums |
|---|---|---|---|
| Blue, marked "Property of CHEP" | CHEP | Call +44 (0)161 786 0500, or use the pallet pick-up form on chep.com | "CHEP picks them up for FREE at a time that suits you." Broken ones included. No minimum published. |
| Red, marked "Inalienable property of LPR" | LPR (La Palette Rouge) | Call +44 (0)1527 523 311, or email collection.uk@lpr.eu | "Any number of pallets can be collected, even if there are only a very small number." Free is not stated in writing; ask when you book. |
| Brown, marked "Property of IPP" | IPP Logipal | Collection form on ipp-pooling.com | "Collection of broken pallets is free" (their customer FAQ). No UK number published; the form is the route. |
Numbers checked on the owners' own pages in September 2026. They change, so confirm on the owner's site before you ring.
Our crews leave pool pallets where they are. If your stack is half blue and half everything else, CHEP takes the blue and we take the rest.
Pallet traders collect standard pallets free when there are enough good ones
London has a handful of pallet traders who will collect for nothing, and sometimes pay, because they resell the pallets. Their published terms all come down to the same four conditions:
- Standard sizes. UK 1200 x 1000 mm or euro 1200 x 800 mm. Some also list the large 2000 x 1000 mm and double 2400 x 1200 mm boards.
- Intact or repairable. "Usable" is the word they use. Broken ones get declined, or cleared only as part of a deal that includes good stock.
- Enough of them. None of them prints a number. The test is whether the load is worth a lorry stop. A yard with a hundred clean pallets gets a free collection and an offer. Six behind a shop does not.
- Photos first. Every one of them asks for photos and a count before they say yes.
If your pallets pass all four, ring a trader before you ring us. A free collection is a free collection. For the wider picture of who takes pallets in London, see who collects used pallets in London.
What the traders turn down, from their own pages: broken and damaged stacks, odd sizes, small quantities, mixed piles, and plastic. That is most of what London businesses are actually trying to get rid of.
Free listings: putting pallets outside with a sign on them
Gumtree, Facebook groups and 1001pallets carry "free pallets, collection only" posts every week, and for a few clean pallets they work. Someone with a van turns up for the garden project.
Two things to know. You do not control who comes, or when, and the pallets sit there until they do. And leaving commercial pallets on the pavement for someone to take counts as dumping commercial waste. The council can fine the business, and in Westminster the knowledge base says so in as many words. Keep them inside the premises until they are collected.
When free collection fails
The free routes say no to the same things, and they are the things that pile up:
- fewer than a van-load of clean pallets
- broken, rotten or wet pallets
- odd sizes, display pallets, A-frames
- plastic pallets
- pallets mixed with packaging, timber offcuts or other waste
- a site with no lorry or forklift access
- a yard that has to be clear today
That stack is a paid collection. It is also the job we do every day: pallet collection in London.
What paid pallet collection costs in London
We charge for the collection; we do not pay for pallets. The published price is the invoiced price.
£75 + VAT
Call-out, every job
We charge £75 + VAT to come out, whatever the count. It covers the stop and the tip.
£5 + VAT
Per pallet, you load
We charge £5 + VAT for each standard UK or euro pallet, intact or broken, if you load them, forklift or by hand.
£7 + VAT
Per pallet, we load
We charge £7 + VAT a pallet and the driver does the lifting.
£10 / £14 + VAT
Doubles, A-frames, plastic
Double pallets and A-frames are twice the pallet rate: £10 + VAT if you load, £14 + VAT if we do. Plastic pallets cost £2 + VAT more than wood.
So one pallet is £80 + VAT, ten you load yourself is £125 + VAT, a yard full of fifty is £325 + VAT. Same day where the slot exists, otherwise next day. A waste transfer note arrives by email the same day; we are a licensed waste carrier, CBDU466346.
Full price list and booking: pallet collection service London.
How to get a free collector to say yes to more of your stack
If you want to keep the paid part as small as possible:
1. Pool pallets first.
Pull the blue, red and brown pallets out and book their owner.
2. Sort and keep dry.
Stack intact standard pallets separately from broken ones, under cover. Wet pallets get declined.
3. Count and photograph.
Count them and photograph each stack. Send the clean stack to a trader.
4. Give the trader access.
Lorry access and a forklift if you have one; most say yes faster when they are not hand-loading.
5. Send us the rest. A photo of what is left, and we price it.
Common questions
Will anyone collect broken pallets for free in London?
CHEP collects its own blue ones free, broken included. Traders generally will not; a broken pallet has no resale value. For broken wooden pallets the realistic routes are a paid collection or the trader taking them as part of a deal on a large clean stack.
Do pallet collectors pay for pallets?
Some traders pay for intact standard pallets in volume. We do not pay for pallets; we charge for the collection and the pallets go to our licensed disposal partner for reuse or recycling.
How many pallets do I need for a free collection?
No London trader publishes a minimum. The practical test is a load worth a lorry stop, and the answer comes from photos. LPR states it collects any number of its red pallets; CHEP publishes no minimum for blue.
Can I leave pallets on the street for collection?
No. Commercial pallets left on the pavement are commercial waste, and the business that put them there carries the liability. Keep them on the premises until the collector arrives.
Is a euro pallet a pool pallet?
No. EPAL is an open exchange standard, not an owner. Nobody will come and collect a euro pallet because it is theirs. Traders take clean ones in volume; otherwise it is a paid collection.
What if my pallets are plastic?
Traders and free collectors mostly decline them. We collect plastic pallets across London; see plastic pallet collection London.
Pallets the free collectors would not take?
Send a photo and a count to 0207 101 4003 on WhatsApp and you will have a fixed price within the hour. One pallet or a yard full, same day where the slot exists.