Plastic Container Blog

Xterprise Incorporated announces its RFID-enabled asset management application which optimizes the use of Reusable Transport Items (RTIs) in various supply chain environments.
You can read the article in entirety here.

Xterprise Announces Clarity RTI(TM), an RFID-Enabled Reusable Transport Item (RTI) Application, Now Available for the European Market

Clarity RTI(TM) Application Optimises the Use of Totes, Pallets, Bins, Bulk Containers, Roll Cages and Similar RTIs in the SupplyChainLONDON–(Marketwire - March 10, 2008) - Xterprise Incorporated, theleading global supplier of applications for the High DefinitionEnterprise(TM) and a Gold-Certified Microsoft(TM) ISV partner,announced today the release in the European market of itsRFID-enabled asset management application which optimises the use ofReusable Transport Items (RTIs) in various supply chain environments.Reusable transport items play a critical role in many environments tohelp ensure the timely, continuous flow of materials and products toproduction lines, distribution and ultimately customers. Xterpriseand third-party research indicates that more than 50 million RTIs arelost, damaged or otherwise removed from service each year at anestimated cost, globally, of close to $1 billion — a significantportion of which are in Europe. Without proper visibility andmanagement of these valuable assets, stockpiling occurs atartificially high levels at critical choke points, resulting inunnecessary replenishment to meet demand.Xterprise has purposely built the Clarity RTI(TM) application toaddress the unique uses and resulting challenges of managing RTIs asthey move between stakeholders in closed-loop environments typicallyfound in retail, 3pl, and manufacturing organisations. Theapplication provides highly granular visibility and control of RTIassets across all stakeholders, matching supply to demand whilecontinuously measuring fleet performance. Typical customer benefitsinclude higher RTI asset utilization, lower acquisition costs, andgreater transaction accuracy.”The cost of RTIs to shippers, manufacturers and retailers has beenrising in step with the global demand and prices of commodities; assuch, organisations can no longer ignore the bottom-line implicationsof not having these assets at the right location in the correctquantities when needed. Surprisingly, these assets are typicallymanaged with spreadsheets or paper-based systems,” said MikeLetchford, general manager Xterprise Europe. “Without anRFID-enabled, high fidelity application like Clarity RTI(TM), keepingtrack and managing large volumes of RTIs across a constantly movingsupply chain can be next to impossible.”Xterprise has established a pedigree of excellence with ClarityRTI(TM) delivering value in many of the largest and most challengingRTI environments worldwide:– Managing millions of assets and millions of transactions each month for the leading plastic pallet-pooling organisation in North America. The scale of this deployment is second only to the US Department of Defense in terms of assets under management;– Optimisation of high cost RTIs used in production in a large Japanese automaker’s assembly facility;– Actively tracking the exposure of RTIs to ambient environmental variables to ensure safe shipment and integrity of reagents used in pharmaceutical manufacturing as well as liquids used in semiconductor manufacturing;– Automating the complex flow of inbound raw materials contained in RTIs into a lean manufacturing for a leading automotive electronics supplier.The Clarity RTI(TM) application from Xterprise is built on theMicrosoft BizTalk R2 platform featuring a robust RFID framework. Thisensures maximum flexibility, scalability, and interoperability at thelowest possible total cost of ownership.ABOUT XTERPRISEXterprise Incorporated was founded in 2002 as a provider of RFID(Radio Frequency Identification) applications. Today our solutionscombine Microsoft platform technology, continuous improvement andlean supply chain expertise, enterprise supply chain systemsintegration along with RFID technology to deliver previouslyunachievable levels of visibility, assurance, accuracy, processimprovement and value to clients. The growing customer list ofXterprise customers includes Alcon, Allergan, Chicken of the Sea,Corning, Cytech, Dairy Fresh, Dial, Eureaka, ExxonMobil, GeneralMills, Georgia Pacific, Kraft, iGPS, Intel, L’Oreal, Nokia, Samsung,Schoeller Arca Systems, ShopVac, Siemens VDO, The Libman Company, TheUS Department of Veterans Affairs, TIMCO Aviation Services, TNTExpress, Toyota, Wells Fargo and many others. The Xterprise Europeanoffice is located in Beverley, UK, with its global headquarters inCarrollton, Texas, USA (Dallas/Fort Worth). To learn more call +44(0) 1482 881979, email infoEU@xterprise.com or visitwww.xterprise.com.Brand names mentioned herein are the trademarks of their respectiveownersCONTACTS:Mike Letchford (European Contact)General ManagerXterprise Europemletchford@xterprise.com+44 (0) 1482 881979Jim CaudillSenior Vice President of Marketing and StrategyXterprise Incorporatedjcaudill@xterprise.com+1 972-690-9460Howard LaMunionPublic Relations for Xterpriselamunion@consulttus.com+1 214-601-0977

Plastic containers are the containers of choice for grape exports because they are more efficient for transportation and allow better air flow for the product.You can read more about this here.

Mexican grapes now heading to U.K., Asia

By Tom Burfield

(May 5, 9:40 a.m.) Most Mexican table grape growers export the vast majority of their product to the U.S. and Canada. However, as produce from Mexico continues to build a strong reputation worldwide, growers are shipping more of their product to places like the United Kingdom, Pacific Rim countries and China.

Pacific Trellis Fruit, Reedley, Calif., has shipped some Mexican grapes to the United Kingdom and exported to Asia last year for the first time, said Omar Abu-Ghazaleh, imports manager.

The buying power of Central America also is increasing significantly along with an interest in Mexican table grapes, so the company also ships to El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras and Costa Rica.

In all, the company exports up to 10% of its Mexican-grown table grapes to places other than the U.S. and Canada.

“Nowadays, you have to diversify your markets as much as possible,” Abu-Ghazaleh said.

Plastic containers are the containers of choice for grape exports because they are more efficient for transportation and allow better air flow for the product, he added.

Frank’s Distributing of Produce LLC and Bionova Produce Inc., both in Nogales, Ariz., export primarily flames, some sugraones and a lot of red globes to Pacific Rim markets, said Montie McGovern, director of operations.

The companies export 65% of their red globes to countries other than the U.S.

Some companies ship heavily to the United Kingdom, but for McGovern, those shipments depend on market conditions there and on what product is available from India and Egypt.

The companies enjoy consistent business with Hong Kong on flames and sugraones, he said, but red globes generally are more popular throughout the Pacific Rim.

Stevco Inc., Los Angeles, exports up to 10% of its Mexican grapes, said Jared Lane, sales manager.

Shipments have increased lately as Mexico’s fruit becomes more accepted worldwide, he said.

The company exports all varieties and ships in corrugated plastic containers to places like Malaysia, Sri Lanka, China and Hong Kong.

Miguel Suarez, owner of MAS Melons & Grapes, Nogales, Ariz., said he used to export a significant amount of grapes to England, but that business has been reduced as countries in northern Africa increase their shipments every year.

Suarez also has seen a gradual change in the table grape industry in India, which also supplied grapes to England. At first, the industry there consisted of numerous small growers who shipped product of inconsistent quality.

“Apparently, the new generations are getting more organized,” Suarez said.

Farms are getting bigger and quality is improving. That affects Mexican exports, which are produced at the same time.

As a result, Suarez said, his business to Europe has been decreasing every year, especially on green grapes.

Good growing conditions in India and north Africa and an extended Chilean deal mean fewer options for Mexican growers, he said, but opportunities remain for red grapes.

The company has programs in place with buyers in Hong Kong, Malaysia, the Philippines and Indonesia, he said.

Export deals can be much more challenging than shipping to North America, but shippers say they also can be more profitable.

“There are quite a bit of regulations to most of these countries,” said Abu-Ghazaleh, “but where there’s a will, there’s a way.”

The risks are greater when exporting table grapes, Stevco’s Lane said. A shipper must send his highest-quality product, but the returns are higher and generally well worth the risk.

“Our (export) business has stayed pretty steady,” McGovern said, but export volume often is tied to conditions in other growing areas, including Chile, as well as in the destination countries.

Crop size also can affect exports. If Mexico’s crop is light and the North American markets are strong, shippers are likely to export less product, he said.

One of the newest export destinations for Mexican grapes is China.

Pacific Trellis launched a trial program with that country last year.

“It went fairly well,” said Abu-Ghazaleh.

The company shipped mostly red globes, but it also has seen an interest in flames and sugraones. Pacific Trellis plans to increase exports to China this season.

Stevco also ships to China, but volume is shrinking as Chinese production of red globes increases, Lane said. The company ships mostly seedless varieties to that nation.

There is potential for thompson, sugraone and red globes in China, Suarez said, but shipping there can be risky, since a trip can take up to four weeks.

“That’s a long time,” he said, so starting with good grapes that are packed right is imperative.

Mailers face obstacles such as weight and safety issues when shipping with wooden pallets.  The USPS has announced that they have purchased and are testing a half million plastic pallets.  Read more about this here.

Mailers were very happy to hear one MTAC report, regarding plastic pallets.  Mailers have been facing challenges posed by the wooden mail pallets the USPS has been distributing.  The wooden pallets can weigh up to 60-70lbs, skewing tare weights and posing safety problems for mail handlers.  The USPS announced that they have purchased and are testing a half million new plastic pallets, that are both lighter and less expensive than the older plastic pallets.  Real-world testing, including some pallets implanted with GPS devices, is being conducted with these pallets right now. 

A new, non-MTAC workgroup has been formed to study long term ideas for MTE (Mailer Transport Equipment) such as pallets.  It was explained that participation outside of the usual MTAC participants, such as Fed-Ex, necessitated the non-MTAC status of this cooperative effort. 

Mailers can help these efforts and make containerization issues improve for everyone with a few simple culture changes.  First and foremost, only use MTEs for the purpose of moving the mail.  Re-purposing of postal pallets, hoarding, and other misuse is not only illegal, but it makes things difficult for all mailers in the long run.  Support USPS efforts to begin to track and control MTEs, even though it may not be “the way we’ve always done it”  Bypassing systems to get equipment via personal connections takes away from the system the USPS is trying to build.  Do a MTE Roundup in your plant, and use up existing inventory, and return excess inventory. 

The USPS listened to complaints about the wooden pallets, and they are trying to make things better.  Let’s work together on this.

Dole is teaming up with Orlando-based iGPS and will begin using 100% recyclable plastic pallets.  Read more about this
here.

Intelligent Global Pooling Systems has announced that beginning in mid-May, Dole Fresh Vegetables Inc. will use iGPS’ all plastic, 100 percent recyclable pallets with embedded radio frequency identification tags in shipping its products.

Monterey, Calif.-based Dole joins Imperial Sugar, Pilgrim’s Pride and Martori Farms to have switched from wood to Intelligent Global (iGPS Co. LLC) plastic pallets. Dole Fresh Vegetables is part of Dole Food Co. Inc., which had 2007 revenues of $6.2 billion.

Orlando-based iGPS provides manufacturers and retailers with plastic pallets embedded with radio frequency identification tags that enable shippers and receivers to track and trace shipments in real time.

This article discusses the origin of the pallet along with other basics.  You can read more about this here.

Pallet basics
Pallets, the base of most modern materials handling systems, do more than carry loads. Applied correctly, they can also protect their loads—as well as the supply chains through which they travel.
By Corinne Kator, Associate Editor — Modern Materials Handling, 5/1/2008
You probably see them every day. However, the more you see something, the more you tend to take it for granted. Take pallets, for example. Simply, a pallet is a portable platform, usually made of wood, which facilitates the movement and storage of unitized goods. However, do you know how pallets help protect products from damage? We’ll get into that, but first a bit more about pallet origins.

Stacking goods on pallets and moving those pallets with lift trucks became a popular handling technique of the U.S. military during World War II. The technique spread rapidly after the war, and today the pallet is a fundamental component of most modern materials handling systems.

Wooden Pallets
The vast majority of pallets in use today are made of wooden boards held together by metal fasteners.

Wood is the favored material for pallets because, in most places, it is readily available and relatively inexpensive. (A typical wooden pallet costs about $9 in the United States today.) In addition, wooden pallets are easy to assemble, and wood is easily adaptable to the many different pallet designs demanded by industry.

Here’s where we start to talk protection. First, let’s address supply chain protection. Wooden pallets that transport goods between countries often need to be heat-treated or fumigated to ensure no diseases or disease-carrying pests are living in the wood. Treated pallets are marked with a stamp developed by the International Plant Protection Convention to show they are in compliance with phytosanitary regulations.

Many different types of wood are used. It’s common to categorize pallets as hardwood pallets or softwood pallets, but this is a risky distinction because not all hardwoods are particularly hard, and not all softwoods are particularly soft, says Marshall White, president of the consulting firm White and Co. (800-942-7943, www.whiteandcompany.net) and former director of the Pallet and Container Research Lab at Virginia Tech.

When you’re choosing a wood for your pallets, says White, “forget about soft or hard.” Instead, look at the individual species available (pine, oak, birch, etc.), and compare their prices and strengths, he says.

When it comes to fasteners, the most common choices are staples and threaded nails. Both are good fasteners, White says, but both can vary widely in quality. Improving the quality of your fasteners significantly improves pallet performance without adding much to the pallet’s price. It will also help protect your loads from damage.

Wooden pallet design

Most wooden pallets fall into one of two basic categories: stringer and block. Both types of pallets have a top deck of boards on which the load rests; the difference is in the frame that supports the deck.

Stringer pallets use a frame of two or more boards (called stringers) that run the length of the pallet, perpendicular to the deck boards. Most stringer pallets contain three stringers: one along each side and one that runs down the middle (see illustration). Stringer pallets are two-way pallets, meaning they permit forklift entry in their two opposite ends. Many stringer pallets are notched on their sides to allow partial four-way entry.

Although no universal standard exists for stringer pallets, the Grocery Manufacturers of America (GMA) pallet is the most common design in use. It measures 48 inches long by 40 inches wide, and is most often used to meet the minimum requirements of downstream customers at the least possible cost.

The frame of a block pallet is made of three stringer boards supported by blocks of wood (see illustration). Most block pallets have nine blocks: one at each corner, one on each side, and one in the center of the pallet. Most block pallets are true four-way pallets, meaning they permit forklift and pallet truck entry on all four sides.

Both stringer and block pallets usually have a series of bottom boards underneath the frame. Pallets with the same number of boards on the top and bottom are called reversible pallets, as they can be used with either side up. Pallets with no bottom boards are known as skids.

Other pallet materials

While traditional wooden pallets dominate the market, pallets are available in a variety of other materials. The most common of these alternatives are plastic, metal, paperboard and specialized wood.

Plastic

Plastic is the most popular alternative material for making pallets. The exact characteristics of plastic pallets vary depending on the type of resin and the molding technique. In general, however, plastic pallets are lighter and more durable than wooden ones. They are also more uniform in size, shape and weight.

Plastic is considered more sanitary than wood: It doesn’t absorb moisture and is easy to clean. This makes plastic pallets a popular choice for transporting food and beverages. In addition, plastic—unlike wood—doesn’t need to meet phytosanitary requirements for international transport, so plastic pallets are often chosen for exporting goods.

The major disadvantage of most plastic pallets is their higher cost (although some less durable, low-cost options are available). Irregularly sized plastic pallets are especially expensive because they require custom molds. Most companies that invest in durable plastic pallets plan to reuse them again and again and, therefore, must develop an effective pallet management system to make their investment worthwhile.

Metal

Metal pallets are available in aluminum and steel. Aluminum pallets are much lighter than steel pallets but usually cost more, too.

Like plastic, metal is more expensive but also more durable, uniform and sanitary than wood. Because of their strength, metal pallets are often used for exceptionally heavy loads. They are also used in high-temperature environments where other pallets would burn or melt.

Corrugated paperboard

According to White, corrugated pallets are often used in exporting goods because they’re lightweight, they aren’t subject to phytosanitary regulations and nearly every country in the world has a means of recycling them. Their weight makes them especially attractive for air freight.

An obvious disadvantage of paperboard pallets is their susceptibility to moisture. In addition, most aren’t strong enough to hold heavy loads or to be stored in a pallet racking systems, says White. Constructing stronger paperboard pallets is possible, he says, but it adds significantly to the cost.

Specialized wood

While traditional wooden pallets are made of raw lumber, wood can be used in several other ways to make pallets.

A composite material made by mixing wood fibers with plastic, for example, can be molded to form pallets that look much like plastic pallets. Wood/plastic composites can also be extruded into boards and used to build a pallet that looks much like a traditional wood pallet.

Panel deck pallets—pallets with a flat top surface—are often made of wood-based composites or plywood. Because panel deck pallets are strong and consistent, says White, they work well with automated equipment. But they’re expensive, he says, so they’re primarily restricted to captive environments.

The pallet lifecycle
When a customer receives a pallet-load of goods from a supplier, what happens to the pallet?

In some instances, the receiver simply throws the pallet away along with the other packaging material. This practice, however, is becoming less common as companies seek to better use their resources, says Rick LeBlanc, president of PACTS Management (905-372-5928, www.pactsmgt.com) and co-author of “Pallets: A North American Perspective.”

Many pallet receivers have contracts with wooden pallet recyclers, he says. When a receiver has accumulated a sufficient number of wooden pallets, the recycler picks them up and refurbishes them for resale. Pallets that aren’t fit for reuse can be broken down for scrap or mulched.

Some suppliers invest in durable pallets which they intend to reuse in a closed loop, and they make arrangements with their customers to return empty pallets.

Other manufacturers don’t buy pallets at all, but rent pallets from companies such as CHEP and iGPS. They contract with their customers to return empty pallets to the rental company. The rental company then repairs the pallets as necessary and reissues them to other customers.

Other companies participate in pallet pools and send unneeded pallets to other pool members for reuse.

Universal Package Systems has introduced a new rental program available on its entire line of recyclable containers.  Read more about this here.

Universal Package Systems, LLC

Release date: April 22, 2008

Universal Package Systems Now Offering Rental Options on All Reusable Containers
DALE, IN (April 22, 2008) - Universal Package Systems has introduced a new rental program available on its entire line of reusable containers. Terms and conditions are completely negotiable, and are customized for each customer on a case-by-case basis. Short term, long term, buy-back, and rent-to-own programs are all possible financial scenarios.

The company offers its customers a single source for new and used reusable plastic and metal bulk containers, hand totes, dunnage and pallets, as well as custom designed material handling solutions.

Renting containers can be an especially cost-effective solution when a customer’s needs are short term, as is often the case in the automotive and other “project” oriented industries and applications. A rental option is also a way to reduce or eliminate capital expenditures, since rent is an expensed item.

For more information, contact Universal Package Systems, 21219 North US Highway 231, Dale, IN. 1-866-875-9918. Fax: (812) 937-9852. www.universalpackage.com

Sky-Trax announces a new inventory tracking solution that will automatically “capture” the exact location of a pallet. Read more about this here.

Sky-Trax New Product Announcement: Total-Trax

Sky-Trax Inc. announces the official commercial release of their newest system product, Total-Trax.

New Castle, DE- April 17, 2008- Sky-Trax, Inc. is pleased to announce the official commercial release of their first complete vehicle and inventory tracking solution, the Total-Trax(TM) system. Built on Sky-Trax’s two break-through systems, the Sky-Trax System(TM) and Skan-Free(TM), Total-Trax is a premium material handling solution that automatically captures exact pallet location and identification, vehicle location, precise location and full path tracking of all warehouse assets. With Total-Trax, Sky-Trax goes beyond RFID to automatically track mobile assets and inventory indoors to inch accuracy without any reliance on human operators; bringing huge productivity gains to operations, full visibility of fleet operations, driver accountability, productivity, safety, and data integrity to operations.

To conclude the press conference, Sky-Trax will present results from a pilot installation where Total-Trax replaced a previous RFID solution. Results shared at the conference will include system collected data information, to date performance evaluation, facility productivity and efficiency reports and much more. So, join us and learn about Sky-Trax’s newest product and the latest system installation results on Tuesday, April 22 at 12:00pm at Booth #632 on the NA 08 Show Floor, in Cleveland OH.

About Sky-Trax Inc.
Sky-Trax develops revolutionary automatic data collection and inch-accurate location tracking systems for warehouse vehicles. Safety and productivity applications employing Sky-Trax’s IPS technology are economical and practical to deploy, allowing warehouse professionals to substantially increase safety and improve warehouse efficiency. The results are fewer safety incidents, much lower operating costs, improved inventory accuracy, and greater throughput. For more information, please visit www.Sky-Trax.com.

HP has adopted certain policies that are aimed at reducing fuel consumption and various greenhouse emissions. Read how using plastic pallets help their cause.  You can read the article in entirety here.

Hewlett-Packard has a proclamation to make: It is the first company to have been approved by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to use the so-called SmartWay logo.

What this means, simply, is that HP has adopted and enforced certain policies within its surface transportation network that are aimed at reducing fuel consumption and various greenhouse emissions. There are roughly 700 companies that have agreed to become SmartWay Transport Partners, but HP is the first one to get logo privileges.

HP products that have the right to bear the SmartWay stamp are the HP Pavilion and Compaq Presario consumer desktops, monitors and related accessories. The company is working on its transportation arrangements for other products: For example, it just began shipping its notebook computers in pallets made of recyclable plastic rather than wood as part of a pilot program with all of its major U.S. retail partners. The case for doing this: To protect against deforestation. It also helps that the plastic pallets happen to be stronger, more durable and lighter. (The weight, in turn, will help reduce fuel consumption.)

Jeco Plastic Products designed and manufactured a pallet measuring 117 by 54 inches, with forklift access from all sides which will help the manufacturer move large, heavy panels, which must be kept flat.
You can read more about this here.

Monster Pallet Solves Huge Material Handling Problem
By Subscriber
Jeco Plastic Products-designer and manufacturer of plastic pallets and containers for the worldwide manufacturing and logistics industries since 1973-recently solved an unusual material handling problem for a manufacturer of over-the-road trailers. The manufacturer must move large, heavy panels, which must be kept flat. Jeco designed and manufactured a pallet measuring 117 by 54 inches, with forklift access from all sides. The rotationally molded pallet has eight steel reinforcement bars, and is capable of bearing a 36,500 lb static load and a 24,500 lb dynamic load.

Read the complete release at: http://www.packagingessentials.com

Apparently many people like the plastic containers and plastic pallets that the U.S. Postal Service uses because loads are turning up missing.  You can read more about this here.

Post office’s plastic gear lost to offices, recyclers
BY BILL W. HORNADAY

Posted on Sunday, April 27, 2008

For years, the U. S. Postal Service has waged a costly and losing battle to round up millions of plastic tubs that end up as office organizers, dorm room ottomans or perhaps a porchside planter.

Now it faces a bigger dilemma. Millions of plastic shipping pallets, which are more than five times as expensive as tubs, are unaccounted for as well.

Despite postal markings on each side, these orange and black platforms are often seen bearing other carriers’ cargo. Many sit idle on loading docks. A few end up in oddball places. Others are illegally shredded for recycling — an activity that postal officials and other industries say is on the rise.

“We would like them back,” said Jim Hardie, manager of mail transport equipment for the Postal Service. “Because ultimately, it costs us all. That’s a lot of stamps to buy to replace just one.” The Postal Service adopted plastic pallets more than 20 years ago and is the nation’s largest user. More costly than traditional wooden pallets, they are lighter, more durable and easier to store, postal officials say.

Over the past two years, Hardie has spent $ 74 million for 3. 7 million plastic pallets. That’s $ 20 a pallet and about 37 percent of the typical annual budget for buying processing and transport equipment, he said.

Yet 2006 ended with the same number of pallets in his national warehouse and distribution center inventory as at the start of the year — about 120, 000.

By the end of 2007, that inventory had shrunk, Hardie said.

Tub retrieval remains a challenge as well. Despite annual recovery drives — last year’s drive liberated about $ 1 million worth — Hardie buys 5 million to 7 million tubs a year to keep inventories around 700, 000.

Since 2006, Hardie has spent $ 33. 4 million for 8. 8 million plastic tubs. That’s about $ 3. 80 each. Exhausting $ 207. 4 million on plastic containers since 2004 — nearly two-thirds of that on pallets — may sound exorbitant. Or it could be downright minuscule given the Postal Service’s $ 75 billion-a-year business. But “if every household in America emptied their garage and every business got rid of stuff they didn’t need, I wouldn’t buy anything next year,” he said.

HIDING PLACES When tubs and pallets pile up instead of returning to the post office, they become subject to office workers’ whimsy. Neither snow, rain, heat nor gloom of night dulls their ingenuity. Nor do labels that threaten a $ 1, 000 fine and three years in prison for “theft or misuse” of postal gear.

“I don’t think it’s anything malicious that people do,” said Hardie, noting that the Postal Service gladly accepts returns. “Somehow they get hold of a [tub or pallet ] and don’t know what to do with it.” Instead, pallets have turned up at paint-ball battlefields, a roadside golf ball stand and under haystacks at a farm. Some have surfaced in South America and some European airports, though the Postal Service does not send pallets out of the country, spokesman Mark Saunders said.

“One of our employees was on vacation in St. Maarten and brought back a picture of one that literally washed up on the beach,” Hardie said.

Perhaps the most brazen incident involved a pharmacy across from Postal Service headquarters in Washington. An employee on lunch break noticed a postal pallet loaded with water bottles and summoned the manager.

“He said, ‘ Hey, that’s not supposed to be used for anything but mail, ’” Hardie said. “Then he picked it up and brought it back to the office.” But when a pallet turned up in a primate exhibit at a Midwest zoo, Hardie said, “I gave them that one. I wasn’t going to go in and get it.” Officials at the Milwaukee County Zoo said several orange and black pallets are used in its primate exhibits, but were donated and lack postal markings.

Tubs have become bookcases, footrests, TV stands and toolboxes. More eclectic uses have included drums or donation bins for street musicians, ballot sorting in elections and a numbers box in a cruise-ship bingo match.

In 2002, an Indiana man was reportedly arrested for growing marijuana in mail tubs.

“The strangest use I’ve seen is for fishing gear in a boat,” said Daniel Medrano, a postal inspector based in Little Rock.

Tubs were popular with television stations, particularly for tape storage, when the Postal Service issued its first return request in 2002, Saunders said.

Newspapers are not to be outdone. An informal sweep of the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette’s Little Rock newsroom revealed 86 postal tubs in plain sight — only four of which contained mail.

PLASTIC PROFITEERS In 2007, postal employees came across a newspaper article about an Ohio recycling yard. To their amazement, Hardie said, a photo showed an employee tossing “almost brand new” postal pallets into a shredder. “We ended up calling our inspectors. Sure enough, there had been a theft of postal pallets and this company unknowingly bought stolen property.” Intentional theft or misuse of pallets and tubs are the “vast minority” of cases that inspectors see, said Jose Obando, manager of the U. S. Postal Inspection Service’s security and loss prevention group.

When they occur, it often involves resellers, who may buy stolen pallets for $ 7 and resell them for $ 18, or plastic recyclers paid by the pound, he said.

Inspectors in Florida recently halted a pallet export operation, Hardie said. Last year, police and private eyes in Maywood, Calif., found postal pallets among truckloads of beverage crates in what may be the largest recycling seizure to date.

Obando said he knows of “two or three” incidents firsthand and a pair of ongoing criminal cases. “But most people basically forget they have all these pallets.” Hardie says the Postal Service looks into each lead it receives about missing equipment. Some recyclers and shipping firms disagree. In recent years, trade publications reported that the Postal Service has rejected some pickup requests or threatened prosecution.

A Web site for the National Wooden Pallet and Container Association reflects such concerns. One section allows users to report pallets ready for pickup to the association and the Postal Service. It also includes a check box with the message: “My company has reported these USPS pallets to our local post office which declined pickup.” The owner of Cassville, Mo.-based Marck Industries Inc. said he deals only with commercial or industrial customers and that most — along with other recycling operators — are well aware of postal regulations.

“We simply won’t accept them [postal pallets ],” said Kent Longley, whose clients include Wal-Mart Stores Inc. and other Northwest Arkansas companies. “Besides, it’s hardly worth the hassle.” Hardie rejects the notion that tips get ignored, noting that a special e-mail address for lost equipment is checked daily. Inspectors sometimes get involved, he said, but usually over large amounts of equipment.

Some say the Postal Service shares part of the blame for lost equipment.

In a 2007 presentation, the head of the Canadian Pallet Council, Belinda Junkin, noted that the Postal Service — unlike some shipping groups — never put a plan in place to control its pallet inventory.

With more than 37, 000 facilities nationwide — and additional pallets and tubs moving between postal centers or waiting on customer loads — it’s impossible to track each one, Hardie said. At least for now. “We are creating a system where mailers will be required to report their inventory of [mail transport equipment ] to give us this piece of the equation.” LOST AND FOUND The Postal Service is not alone in its struggles with plastic. Each year, the dairy industry loses $ 80 million worth of milk crates to theft, misuse or landfills, said Clay Detlefsen, vice president and counsel for the International Dairy Foods Association. Lost plastic trays also cost the baking industry some $ 50 million to $ 80 million a year, he said.

Prices for plastic resin — derived from oil and natural gas — have doubled over the past two years, Longley said. Another driver is increased demand in Asia and China in particular, he said.

Such increases help fuel a growing black market, Detlefsen said.

“There is an incentive for wrongdoers to collect milk cases and sell them for scrap, which could be roughly $ 1 a case,” Detlefsen said. New crates typically cost $ 4, he said.

So far, pallet theft has not been a significant problem in Arkansas, Medrano said. As returns go, 2, 988 pallets have come back to the Postal Service’s processing and distribution center in North Little Rock — averaging about 100 a day, spokesman Leisa Tolliver-Gay said.

About 100 flat tubs a day are returned to Little Rock’s main post office at 600 E. Capitol Ave., she said.

Last year, the Postal Service recovered some 25, 000 pallets worth nearly $ 500, 000, Obando said. So far this year, individual seizures have yielded several trailer loads worth $ 20, 000 to $ 25, 000 each, he said.

Some credit goes toward “better communication” and recent efforts to educate shippers and recyclers about postal equipment, Hardie said.

Inspectors also need more postal workers and citizens to serve as “eyes and ears,” Obando said.

“Obviously we’re not going to get everything. There’s warehouses in places people can’t see them and that’s unfortunate,” he said. “But by raising awareness… I think we’re definitely a little ahead than we were before.”