Waitrose has become the first major supermarket to trial a cork recycling scheme.
It will launch collection points in seven stores across the UK, initally in Salisbury, followed by Saltash, Lymington, Bath, Godalming, Truro and Maidenhead once it relaunches in November. Customers will be encouraged to deposit their used natural corks for recycling by Amorim, the world’s largest cork processing specialists.
Barry Dick, MW and Waitrose beer wine and spirits global bulk wine sourcing manager said: “Waitrose customers get through a corking nearly 25 million natural corks a year. Currently this valuable material does not have its own waste stream which means it ends up in landfill. Cork is a durable material and has the potential to be repurposed into a variety of products after it has been used as a wine cork.
This trial is a fantastic way for us to reduce waste and play a part in improving our sustainability as a category. Once we’ve gauged our customer’s appetite to return their natural corks, we’re hoping to roll the trial out to further stores from next year.”
Recycled natural cork can be repurposed into new uses such as mulch for soil - as well as household items such as placemats, coasters, flooring or even shoes.
Waitrose will use the trial to decide how best to roll it out more widely - with hopes of exploring further applications of recycled cork.
Portugal is the world’s biggest producer of cork, with over 2 million hectares of cork forest covering the country. Around one-third of the world’s cork comes from Portugal.
