Trees Are Natures Antiques: What To Do With The Corks

Corks are biodegradable and small, so you may think throwing them away is alright. Unfortunately, it takes a Cork Oak Tree 25 years before the cork can be harvested. Then, only the cork from the first harvest can be used for wine corks. Doesn't it seem silly to just toss it in the trash?

Since cork takes a long time to renew, it makes sense to upcycle or recycle it. If you would like to upcycle the corks, try making them into a fun wreath or cork board. To recycle, you can send them to a program called Korks For Kids, a non-profit organization or to Yemm and Hart, a company that will recycle them into other products.

The mister and I enjoy our wine tasting together and as a tradition we keep every wine cork that we share in a large jar in our kitchen. We also keep corks from special occassions and write the name of the event on the date before tossing them into the jar! I have also seen them stored in shadow boxes and hung as amazing pieces of art.

How do you upcycle your corks?

photo courtesy of Made by Bea G