Our cork recycling program is no longer running (effective December 1, 2021). We are not accepting any more corks.
Our cork recycling program is no longer running (effective December 1, 2021). We are not accepting any more corks.
cork tiles surface bar at Boathouse Restaurant on Kits Beach

As of December 2019, you have helped us divert over 110,000 wine corks from the solid waste stream. That’s over 110 cubic feet of perfectly reusable cork.

We are still urging the BC Liquor Distribution Board to collect natural wine stoppers province-wide which would create a constant, sizable material supply stream. That is step one in making the engineering and manufacturing setup feasible. Without the steady raw material stream, the expense and process engineering to remanufacture the material is a show-stopper. It may not hurt for you to ask your BC Liquor Store why they are not currently accepting natural cork stoppers at their return counters.

As we have suggested in previous posts, one of the best remanufacturing processes that could be done here in Vancouver is water jet cutting the corks into uniform discs similar to ceramic tiles that could be mounted on mesh backing sheets for installation as cork tile floors or wall covering.

Thanks!

About the author

Ian launched the Put a Cork in it recycling program in 2010. He is a big proponent of renewable energy and sustainability. And he walks the talk.