Where can I get pallets in Kitchener-Waterloo?

Kitchener Pallets sells new, recycled, plastic and heat treated pallets and crates. Willow Brae Pallets in Waterloo, near St. Jacobs, repairs and resells used pallets. Pallet Management Group serves Kitchener from its Campbellville facility and supplies new, recycled and ISPM 15 pallets.

How do I get rid of pallets in Waterloo Region?

Ask a pallet company to pick them up, since many buy or collect used pallets. You can also take clean pallets to the Region's waste sites in Cambridge (201 Savage Drive) or Waterloo (925 Erb Street West) for $120 per tonne, with a $15 minimum per load. Remove all banding and plastic wrap first.

Do pallets shipped from Ontario to the US need to be heat treated?

Not for the continental US. Since 2005, wood packaging moving between Canada and the continental US has been exempt from ISPM 15 treatment and stamping, as long as shipping documents state it was made in Canada or the US from Canadian or US wood. Hawaii and US territories still require the ISPM 15 mark.

Where should a shipping label go on a box?

Flat and wrinkle-free on the largest side or the top flap, clear of seams, edges and tape. Remove or fully cover old labels and barcodes, and never cover the barcode with tape or strapping.

Where can I buy shipping boxes and packaging in Waterloo?

Packaging Too, at 652 Colby Drive in Waterloo, sells boxes, bubble wrap, tape, shrink wrap and labels in store, with pricing for business accounts. For custom printed food packaging, Corr Packaging serves Kitchener-Waterloo with low minimum orders.

Pallets, Packaging and Labelling in Kitchener-Waterloo

If you ship from Kitchener, Waterloo, Cambridge or Guelph, three everyday questions come up again and again. Where do I get pallets and boxes, and where do I get rid of them? How do I pack them so nothing arrives damaged? And how do I label them so they scan and arrive at the right place? This guide answers all three with local suppliers, the Region of Waterloo's disposal rules and fees, step by step packing and labelling instructions, and the wood pallet rules for shipping to the US.

Where to get pallets locally

Company	Where	What they offer
Kitchener Pallets	Kitchener	New, refurbished and recycled pallets, plastic pallets, ISPM 15 heat treated pallets, custom crates, and 48 x 40 inch pallets in stock. Runs a pallet recycling pickup service. Request pickup online at kitchenerpallet.com.
Willow Brae Pallets	Waterloo, near St. Jacobs	Has offered free pallet pickup to manufacturers for close to 50 years. Repairs and resells used pallets and recycles the rest, with nothing sent to landfill. Serves Kitchener, Waterloo, Cambridge and Guelph.
Pallet Management Group	Serves Kitchener from Campbellville and St. Thomas	New, recycled, re-manufactured and ISPM 15 pallets. Can leave a trailer at your site to collect used pallets, and buys recycled pallets.

Which pallet do you need? The 48 x 40 inch pallet is the most common size in North America, and most racking, trucks and carriers are set up for it. Recycled pallets cost less and are fine for most domestic shipments. Pay for new or heat treated pallets when a customer specifies them, or when you ship overseas.

Good to know Check every pallet before you load it. Skip any with split or missing deck boards, loose nails, or a wobbly frame. A weak pallet is the most common reason a good load arrives damaged.

Getting rid of pallets, cardboard and wrap

The Region of Waterloo does not collect business waste. Businesses either hire a private hauler for garbage, recycling and organics, or bring waste to one of the Region's two commercial sites.

	Cambridge	Waterloo
Address	201 Savage Drive	925 Erb Street West
Weekday commercial hours	7:00 am to 5:00 pm	7:00 am to 5:00 pm
Saturday	Closed for commercial use	7:00 am to 3:00 pm

Fees and rules from the Region:

Wooden pallets and skids: $120 per tonne. Wet pallets are accepted. No metal or plastic banding, no plastic wrap and no other garbage on the load.
Recyclables: $82.50 per tonne. Check with the site before bringing large amounts of cardboard.
Minimum charge: $15 per load.
Only waste generated in Waterloo Region is accepted. Guelph businesses need to use Guelph's own services or a private hauler.
Regular large volumes: businesses can apply for a landfill credit account after one year of use and at least $5,000 a year in fees.

The cheapest option for pallets is usually a pallet company. Many will pick up used pallets for free, or pay for them, rather than charging you to throw them away.

Where to buy packaging supplies locally

Packaging Too, 652 Colby Drive, Waterloo, 519-746-3099. Boxes, bubble wrap, cardboard, tape and dispensers, shrink wrap and shipping labels. Walk-in retail store, with pricing available for business customers.
Corr Packaging, serving Kitchener-Waterloo with Ontario-wide delivery. Custom printed food packaging and corrugated boxes for restaurants, bakeries and food businesses, with low minimum orders.
Your pallet supplier. Ask whether they also sell stretch wrap, corner boards and strapping. Buying everything from one supplier saves a trip.

Know a local supplier we should add? Tell us and we will update this list.

How to build a pallet that arrives intact

Start with a sound pallet. No broken boards or loose nails, and the right size for the load.
Put the heaviest boxes on the bottom. Light and fragile boxes go on top.
Stack in columns, corners lined up. Boxes are strongest at their corners. Stacking straight up, edge on edge, keeps weight off the soft middle of the box below. Interlocking stacks, like bricks, look stable but can crush the boxes underneath.
No overhang. Nothing should stick out past the pallet edge. Overhanging boxes take the first hit from forklifts and other freight.
Keep the top flat. No pyramids or odd shapes, so the carrier can handle it safely.
Add corner boards on the vertical edges if the load is heavy, fragile or tall.
Stretch wrap from the bottom up. Start by wrapping the pallet base itself several times, so the load is tied to the pallet, not just wrapped around itself. Work up the load, overlap each pass, wrap the top corners a few times, then work back down. Tuck in the end.
Strap it if it is heavy. Banding over the columns holds dense loads together.
Label at least two sides. One label per side helps the carrier read it from any angle.
Count and write it down. The piece count on your bill of lading must match what leaves the dock.

Good to know Freight carriers set their own limits on height, weight and size, and charge more when a pallet goes over them. Ask your carrier for their limits before you build, not after it is refused.

How to pack a box

Use a sturdy box the right size. Too big and the contents shift. Too small and the sides bulge.
Don't trust an old box blindly. If you reuse one, check that it is not soft, torn or crushed at the corners.
Cushion every side. Wrap each item and fill the gaps so nothing moves when you shake the box.
Tape properly. Use packing tape across the centre seam and the edge seams on top and bottom. Masking tape and string are not strong enough.
Heavy items go in smaller boxes. It protects the box and the person lifting it.
"Fragile" stickers help, but they do not protect anything. Packaging does.

How to label shipments so they scan

These rules follow Canada Post's labelling guide, and they work for most carriers:

Put the label on the largest flat side or the top flap, flat and wrinkle-free.
Keep it off seams, edges and box closures, where it can lift or tear.
Never cover the barcode with tape, strapping or shiny wrap. Tape over the label edges, not across the barcode.
Remove or fully cover every old label and barcode. Reused boxes with two barcodes are a common cause of misrouted parcels.
Use the full, correct address. An incomplete or wrong address can trigger an address correction fee.
On a long tube, run the label lengthwise along the tube. Don't wrap it around.
Number multi-piece shipments, for example 1 of 3, 2 of 3, 3 of 3, and put the same reference on every piece.
Dangerous goods need their own marks and labels. If you ship lithium batteries, aerosols, paints or chemicals, check the transportation of dangerous goods rules first. Our shipper/receiver training directory explains TDG training and where to get it locally.

Shipping wood pallets to the US

Most international shipments need wood pallets and crates that are heat treated or fumigated and stamped under the international standard known as ISPM 15. Shipments between Canada and the continental US are the exception.

Since 2005, wood packaging moving between Canada and the continental US has been exempt from ISPM 15 treatment and stamping.
To use the exemption, your shipping documents must state that the unmarked wood packaging was made in Canada or the US, from wood that originated in Canada or the US.
The exemption does not cover Hawaii or US territories. Those shipments need ISPM 15 stamped wood.
Shipping overseas? Use ISPM 15 stamped pallets. Kitchener Pallets and Pallet Management Group both supply them.

Before it leaves the dock: a quick checklist

Pallet is sound, the right size, and nothing hangs over the edge
Heavy at the bottom, columns lined up, flat top
Stretch wrap ties the load to the pallet base
Labels on at least two sides, old labels removed or covered
Barcodes clear of tape and strapping
Piece count matches the bill of lading
Dangerous goods marked and documented, if any
For the US: wood origin statement on the shipping documents

Pallets, packaging and labelling in Kitchener, Waterloo: where to get them and how to do it right

Key takeaways