Our current compost bin is three pine pallets. I think they are just wired together; don't really remember for sure. Previous bin was three and a half pallets. Those were really hard oak, but most I find are of pine. The oak bin lasted maybe 18 years. I don't have space for the three bin system, so just have one bin. In fact I only use a bin at all because I can keep the contents to a small footprint. If I had a lot of space, I'd just have a wall-less heap.

Next to a small sofa in the living room I have four pallets simply stacked and topped with a decorative banner as a table cloth. I store all kinds of things on it, as my house is small and I have to store things wherever I can. My visiting brother-in law laughed when I reached into the stack and pulled out a jar of homemade pickled okra, popped the lid and passed it around. What? Not everyone keeps snacks in the living room? Also in there are tins & jars of seeds, books too big for the bookshelves, large photo prints in a flat box, a marble chess board, some jam, a small bolt of fabric, magazines, a box of soaps, a jigsaw puzzle. This stack-o-pallets provides a lot of storage and functions as a side table, too.

I know people do all kinds of cool stuff with pallet wood. I'm lucky to have a really close source, so I can find nice clean ones to come in the house. My impression is that most of the people picking up pallets from my source are going to use them for firewood. There was a guy in my old neighborhood who kept a humongous pile of split up pallets to give away firewood to all comers. That was close to "Produce Row," the warehouse district where 'most all the produce headed for stores in the metro area used to first go. I think that is where he got the pallets.