Corks (Natural) Alternative ways to recycle Compost (Yard Trimmings) Cart Natural corks go in your compost cart, but not the recycling cart. Use one of the drop-off or mail-back options see below to recycle corks separately. Juniper Station is one local drop off location. Plastic corks need to go in your landfill cart. They are made from a non-recyclable combination of materials, and they are too small to be recovered in the recycling. Metal screwcaps go in the recycling cart, but make sure to remove the screwcap from the bottle so they can be sorted correctly. (Do the same with the metal lids on glass jars.) Plastic Corks: Too Small to Recycle Many synthetic corks are made out of plastic #7, but unfortunately are too small to be recovered by sorting equipment, so they go in the trash. Composting Natural Corks You can compost natural corks, but they will take a long time to break down unless you break them up into small pieces first, or even better, run them through a blender. Alternative Ways to Recycle CFCA Dropboxes The Cork Forest Conservation Alliance collects and recycles natural corks in dropboxes in many Whole Foods stores, as well as other retailers. Find a dropbox here. ReCORK Recycling Program ReCORK collects natural corks so they can be reused in packaging and products such as cork shoes. If you have 15 lbs of cork or more, mail them in with a free shipping label. Or find a nearby dropbox. CorkClub Recycling CorkClub is a sustainability initiative funded by WidgetCo, a leader in wine cork recycling and upcycling. Mail in both natural and synthetic wine corks in shipments of 5 lbs (or 500 wine corks, or 800 cubic inches). For each natural wine cork received, WidgetCo donates to forest and ocean conservation non-profits, and synthetic wine corks are recycled. Ways to Reuse Hydrate Your Plants Break up a wine cork and add the pieces to the soil of your potted plants to reduce the rate of water evaporation during hot summer days.
