Regular readers of MHM know I’ve been watching the heated pallet debate like a hawk over the past year. In fact, I’m shocked that other material handling publications aren’t crawling (pun intended) all over this topic.

But that’s beside the point. Look, I’m all for saving the planet, and I think sustainability is a great cause. But how does a regular person like me sort fact from fiction when I’m confronted by so many conflicting claims and finger pointing?

Recently, I received a media statement from a wood pallet supplier suggesting that wood pallets can save the planet. If excess trim from the lumbering process wasn’t used to make wood pallets, it would just end up in landfills. Oh, and by the way, the company reminds us that plastic pallets are made from oil.

Fair enough. Those are facts. But plastic pallet suppliers can counter with facts of their own. For instance, iGPS has called wood pallets a major factor in deforestation.The company also says wood pallets end up in landfills, while plastic pallets are fully recyclable.

iGPS also released a video that shows flies buzzing around wood pallets. As the video ends, the company reveals the results of an iGPS-commissioned test that shows the presence of bacteria in wood pallets. It was a way to support iGPS’ argument that wood pallets are a danger to the U.S. food supply.

A run-of-the-mill office desk is also dangerous, according to researchers, who have proven that a typical office desk harbors hundreds of times more bacteria than a toilet seat. Did I mention cell phones, doorknobs and air?

I understand drastic times call for drastic measures, but is all this fear mongering really necessary? Wood pallets have been moving through supply chains since the early 20th Century, and we’re not all dead yet.

And, it’s true that plastic pallets can be reused and recycled over and over again. But so can wood pallets. Just ask this guy who has developed quite an Internet following thanks to his creative pallet sheds.

Ask this woman, who can make an Adirondack chair out of a discarded wood pallet.

Anyway, my point is, as critical thinkers and intelligent professionals, we need to know and consider ALL the facts, not just the ones we like.