Detectives, Police Dig Into Recyclable Pallet Theft

With the value of metal going down, thieves seem to have found their next profitable target – recyclables.

Plastic and wood pallets, as well as cardboard bales are routinely stolen from store properties and taken to recycling centers for profit.

It has been a problem plaguing businesses across the region, with Los Angeles County Sheriff's investigators announcing Wednesday the recovery of around $1.3 million in stolen plastic containers, boxes, and crates found at businesses throughout the San Gabriel Valley.

Sheriff's officials said the recovered property is part of a "complex web" of organized crime operating nationally and internationally that deals in stealing, recycling, and reselling trademark plastic containers.

The stolen plastic products, which are being stored by police at a warehouse belonging to the city of Industry, range from small milk crates to large plastic beverage pallets that Don Sachs, executive director of the city of Industry Manufacturers Council, said would slip out the back door without much concern in better economic times.

"With that type of activity, businesses would not be able to function without pallets and containers," Sachs said. "Now, when (businesses) are looking at their pallets and thinking that they have to lay people off because times are tough, they realize the cost factors here."

Lead Detective Shelley Jones from the Sheriff's Industry station said the investigation began around three years ago and found that stolen plastics cost businesses in the San Gabriel Valley nearly $10 million annually.

The estimated $1.3 million displayed in storage in Industry on Wednesday represented all of the merchandise recovered by the department since November of 2010.

Glendora Police Lt. Tim Staab called stolen cardboard bales a “prolific” problem among Glendora businesses, especially near the Glendora Marketplace where Sam’s Club is hit especially hard.

The wholesale warehouse store has reported six separate occasions of cardboard theft this year.

According to Staab, thieves will often hit at night, driving to the rear of the store and quickly loading the bales onto their pickup trucks. The bales – often used for product storage – are valued at $300 each.

“These items, especially in bulk, have substantial value,” said Staab. “Scavengers and thieves will steal anything to make a buck.”

Wood pallets are also susceptible, said Staab. In August 2010, thieves stole 520 wooden pallets from Tom Clark Confections near Wal-Mart, valued at $4 each.

Although Sachs said businesses are hard-pressed to find extra storage space to store their recyclable pallets, the security of pallets is up to the stores who use them.

“Ultimately, it’s the stores’ responsibility to keep their pallets safe,” said Staab. “If they’re left exposed and unsecure, someone will take them.”