The three pools you're most likely to meet in North America are CHEP (blue wood), PECO (red wood) and iGPS (plastic). All three rent their pallets rather than sell them, and all three want strays back. They differ in how to recognize them and where to ask for a collection.
Side by side
| CHEP | PECO | iGPS | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Look | Wood block pallet, painted blue | Wood block pallet, painted red | Plastic pallet, pool name molded in |
| Ownership statement | Its US page says it owns its pallets and never sells them | Its recovery page says its pallets are its property | Rents its pallets through its pool |
| Where to request pickup | CHEP US collection request, or myCHEP for customers | PECO pickup request: form, email or phone | iGPS website |
| Minimum count | Not stated on the page | Asks to hear about even one or two | Not confirmed |
In Europe, a red pallet is just as likely to be from LPR (La Palette Rouge), which has its own collection request.
How do I tell blue from red when the paint is worn?
Read the stencil. Each pool stencils its name on the blocks or boards, and the stencil is often still readable after the paint has worn. If both are gone, the pallet's construction will usually still be a heavy block design, which points to a pool rather than a white-wood pallet. Treat it as someone's rental pallet and set it aside.
What about the plastic ones?
Plastic pool pallets carry the pool's name in the molding, and iGPS has said its pallets carry RFID tags it uses to track them. A plain plastic pallet with no name is a different thing: probably sold outright, and yours.
Does it matter which pool a pallet belongs to?
Only for the pickup request. The rule is the same for all of them: not yours to sell, keep or scrap, and the owner collects. If a mixed pile includes several pools, count each separately so you can book each collection with the right number.
Are there other pools?
Yes. Smaller pools, and closed-loop programs run by individual manufacturers, mark their pallets too. Anything stenciled PROPERTY OF or RETURN TO belongs to the company it names, whatever its color. Our directory covers the pools we've checked; for others, the owner's own website will have a return page.