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There's a lot to like about cork as an eco-friendly material: it's harvested (primarly from the Cork Oak tree, or Quercus suber) in a way that doesn't harm the tree, making it almost unendingly sustainable (harvested in moderation, of course); it's almost totally waterproof, making it suitable for both indoor and outdoor use; and, it's elasticity makes it a great option for flooring.
Still, almost 60 percent of the world's cork is used in wine production. And because corks are pretty small, they're easy to lose track of once you pop the top on your favorite organic bubbly or wine; that doesn't mean that you can't recycle them, though.
Enter ReCork America, an organization who thinks there is absolutely no reason natural wine corks should end up as landfill. The program is focused on obtaining used and surplus corks from winery tasting rooms, bottling lines and quality assurance laboratories; recently, they expanded and started collecting corks in a few wine-happy locales in California and Oregon.
Collection locations include cork recyclers, wineries including the first winery in the world to use FSC-certified cork (and makes a killer pinot noir, I happen to know), and a growing list of restaurants. If you live in (or visit) California or Oregon, hang on to your corks and bring 'em with you the next time you visit any of the ReCork locations. If you aren't around the west coast much, you can still get involved with ReCork's various efforts; check out their site for more details. ::Recork America
[via Apartment Therapy]
Difficulty level: Easy
More cork and wine-related reading in Planet Green and TreeHugger
Send in the Corks
Turn Wine Corks Into a Trivet, Message Board
Check Your Wine Labels
Reuse Those Empty Wine Bottles: Five Ways
TreeHugger Picks: Cork Does It All
TreeHugger TV: Organic and Biodynamic Wines
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