Virginia Firm Begins Cork Stopper Recycling

Charlottesville, VA, Dec. 8, 2009--Carpet Plus has launched Re-Cork C’Ville – the only official cork recycling program in the Charlottesville area.

Re-Cork C’Ville was created in an effort to bring “green” to the region’s large wine-loving community.

In what began as a quest to collect wine corks for a small project focusing on cork flooring, Carpet Plus discovered that of the almost 15 billion wine corks that are sold into the world market each year, the majority end up in landfills.

“Considering the large presence of both wine and sustainability in the area, I’m shocked that a cork recycling program hasn’t been established until now,” says Liz Eure, director of marketing for Carpet Plus. “We figured that we had the resources within the company to start such a program, so why not do it ourselves?” 

Local vineyards, restaurants and wine shops agree to display a custom-made collection box in their establishment—free of charge—and watch it fill up with both their own corks and that of local wine-drinkers.

The boxes are emptied on a periodic basis and the collected corks are sent to a facility to be recycled.

Because it is 100% natural, biodegradable and renewable, natural cork can be used for cork flooring, building insulation, soil conditioner, automotive gaskets, shoe soles and sports equipment.