Corks
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Around 30 tonnes of old corks are collected for recycling throughout Australia each year.
On average, a cork tree is harvested for its bark 15-18 times in its lifetime, and 550 tonnes of cork are imported into Australia each year.
Corks can be recycled. Guides Australia collect and sort corks, selling them on to recycling companies to help raise funds for their respective causes.
Old wine corks are recycled to create many new products, such as cork tiles, golf balls and boat decking. Doing this not only extends the useful life of the product, it also helps reduce the amount of landfill and the demand on cork plantations.
Corks are also 100 percent environmentally friendly – they are renewable, fully recyclable, biodegradable and totally natural.
Getting the most out of your wine corks
- When you open a bottle of wine, use the same cork to reseal the bottle.
- Collect your used wine corks (once the bottle is empty!) before giving them to a group for recycling – this just means less effort for you!
How to.... recycle your wine corks
There are three ways to recycle corks:
- Contact your local Girl Guides organisation;
- Drop your corks into any Body Shop store; or
- Check the Recycling Near You site for other locations where you can drop off your corks for recycling.
