But of the 20 million new wooden pallets produced in UK construction each year, most end up thrown in skips or scrapped after a single use.

Around 6,000 acres of forestry - an area the size of 3,750 football pitches - is chopped down annually to make these pallets, but fewer than 10pc are currently recovered for reuse.

This means more than a quarter of a million tonnes of wood is tossed away each year.

However, at long last, an East Anglian firm could now have an answer to ending this wasteful behaviour.

The Pallet LOOP hopes to change the industry attitude towards pallets through its so-called "closed loop" collection system.

The Pallet LOOP collects, repairs and redistributes its green pallets nationwide (Image: Supplied)

The company collects, repairs and redistributes its distinctive green pallets across the country, allowing them all to be reused multiple times.

As well as protecting the environment, there is also a financial incentive.

The Pallet LOOP will pay registered contractors, housebuilders and builders’ merchants up to £4 to for each pallet they return.

The Pallet LOOP was founded in 2019 and now has ten sites across the UK (Image: Supplied) HOW IT WORKS

The Pallet LOOP was set up by Paul Lewis in 2019. It now has six return centres and four manufacturing sites across the UK.

It works a bit like the old Corona soft drinks........

© Norwich Evening News