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a cork oak seedling (quercus suber L.)
Natural Cork, the kind of cork used in wine closures, is a perfect choice for recycling. It’s 100% natural, biodegradable and renewable. There is absolutely no reason natural wine corks should end up as landfill when recycled cork can become flooring tiles, building insulation, automotive gaskets, craft materials, soil conditioner and sports equipment.
Because of a worldwide interest in sustainable agriculture and natural products like cork, an alliance of concerned businesses, individuals, and ecological organizations has been formed to address the opportunities to recycle natural cork closures.
Amorim & Irmãos of Portugal, the world’s largest producer of natural cork wine closures (over 3 billion annually) and their U.S. sales offices, Amorim Cork America and Portocork America, have instituted a pilot program in California and the Pacific North West to recycle natural cork wine closures.
Known as ReCORK America, the program is focused on obtaining used and surplus corks from winery tasting rooms, bottling lines and quality assurance laboratories. In addition, collection locations are being established with key retailers and restaurants in larger metropolitan areas. A list of current collection locations is available on this Web site. It should be emphasized that only natural cork is being accepted. No plastic or metal closures please.
Because of natural cork’s ability to retain carbon dioxide (CO2) from its inception as a wine cork through its reuse as a recycled cork product, it is a perfect example of sustainable packaging. No other wine closure can make this claim.