I suppose after you settle in for a fine gourmet dinner and pop open a bottle of vintage wine, you simply toss the cork into the trash can, right?
Now, environmentalists are asking consumers to recycle the cork, for good reason.
Natural cork stoppers (unlike petroleum-based synthetic closures) are a sustainable resource and one of the few forms of product packaging that is 100% recyclable, biodegradable, and completely environmentally friendly.
After its life as a stopper, a bottle cork can be facilitated for flooring tiles, building insulation, automotive gaskets, craft materials, soil conditioner, and sports equipment.
Imagine that! A versatile little sucker, eh?
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 nature cork closures.
Amorim & Irmaos of Portugal - the world's largest producer of natural cork wine closures (and their U.S. Sales office Amorim Cork America) - have joined forces with SOLV (an Oregon-based environmental action resource) to launch a national cork recycling program starting in Oregon.
Although cork trees can live over 200 years, the precious crop can only be harvested once every decade. On that occasion, only a portion of the bark is removed, and the still is left standing.
One of the reasons for environmentalists to be concerned?
Cork forests are essential in maintaining the delicate ecosystems of the Mediterranean because they impact weather patterns, soil health, wildlife habitat, C02 uptake, and help moderate overall global warning trends in certain regions.
So, for environmentalists, it makes sense to take action now.
In the final analysis, cork recycling is one step everyone can take to reduce the carbon signature unwittingly created during the course of our daily lives.
Known as ReCORK America, the program will begin by providing collection boxes in wineries and select retail locations in Oregon.
The program's goal is to collect one ton of corks by the end of September, 2008.
It takes approximately 100,000 champagne corks or nearly 300,000 wine corks to yield a ton (2,000 lbs.) of cork.
But, to make the drive work, corks are needed.
Consumers in the collection areas established as of this date, are asked to save their natural wine corks (no synthetics, please) then, periodically drop 'em off in the recycling boxes at participating wineries.
Can't wait?
Get in touch with the organizers and get plugged in, today!
contact: www.amorimcork.com
