Uncork Recycling Efforts with Wine Corks

Other uses for used wine corks have been found. This has spurred a recycling effort for them. Save the cork effort is putting a new look on recycling. This effort began just 18 months go. However, as it has grown quickly on the West Coast, it has now carried over to the East coast as well.

It takes 300,000 corks to make one ton. Collecting these can take time and be cost consuming. Corks can not be used over for new fresh bottles of wine. Sealing bottles of wine with a cork is a one and done thing. It turns out that corks can be ground up and used for flooring and wall products. Recycling companies are looking for companies that are experimenting with using corks in other ways as well.

There is one company that advertises for receiving wine corks. That company is Yemm & Hart. Their web site is www.yemmhart.com. The are asking for wineries to send wine and champaign corks to them by UPS or USPS. They don't want plastic toppers though.

In December, Roger Archey, who is the program manager for ReCork says he shipped 1.7 million corks to a company in Portugal that recycles corks. He sent another 1 million to Napa Recycling and Waste Services. They are working on a way of using corks for compost. That company is looking for a special grinder needed to pulverize corks into smaller pieces.

Corkboards are being made by New Jersey based Terracycle Inc. George Chevalier says that anything they can do to keep corks from going into landfills is worth doing.

Some flooring companies have experimented with a cork floor for gymnasiums and fitness centers. I myself have had experience with these. They appear to do well, but have to have a solid backing underneath for extra support.

Cork is also using in flotation device sand supplies by maritime companies as well.

To date there are over 200 wineries, restaurants, and retailers on the West Coast that save and recycle used corks. That list is growing. It is also starting to grow on the East coast as well. As Americans become concentrated on the idea of recycling, more corks will begin to be recycled.

The big issue is time and cost of collecting and transporting. In recent months, the cost of recycling has hurt the recycling industry.

sources; Michelle Locke, www.stltoday.com