As of July 2006, The U.S.
Department of Agriculture's Animal
and Plant Health Inspection Service
will fully enforce its strict wood
product materials shipping
regulations in order to reduce the risk
of quarantine pests. This regulation
applies to all wood packaging
material (i.e., wooden pallets, boxes,
and crates), which means:
Non complaint regulated wood
packaging material will not be
allowed to enter the United States
as well as many countries
internationally.
While phase one of this regulation
began in September 2005, as of
July 2006, all wooden pallets are
required to be heat-treated or
fumigated.
This standard will likely impact companies shipping loads abroad by increasing prices and adding to the paperwork needed for export.With this deadline rapidly approaching, more and more exporters and importers are turning to steel for their shipping solutions because it:
Does not require treatment for bugs or infestation
Does not require regulatory paperwork including non-coniferous declarations and FDA regulations
Does not need to be fumigated or heat treated for export use
Is readily recyclable, saving landfill space and creating recycling revenue for customers
