Corks (Natural) Alternative ways to recycle Trash Organics Depending on your city, corks made from tree bark may be allowed in the organics container. Corks made from plastic, rubber, bioplastic, or anything other than tree bark should be placed in the trash container. Corks made from tree bark are considered part of food-soiled paper collection. Does my city accept food scraps and food-soiled paper in the organics container? Commercial Accounts: Athens can provide food scrap collection for most business accounts. Check your city for verification. Residential Accounts: Currently, not all cities have added food scrap collection to their services. Check your city for verification. If you do not have an organics container that also accepts food scraps and food-soiled paper, please place corks in the trash. Alternative Ways to Recycle CFCA Dropboxes The Cork Forest Conservation Alliance collects and recycles natural corks in dropboxes in many Whole Foods stores, as well as other retailers. Find a dropbox here. ReCORK Recycling Program ReCORK collects natural corks so they can be reused in packaging and products such as cork shoes. If you have 15 lbs of cork or more, mail them in with a free shipping label. Or find a nearby dropbox. CorkClub Recycling CorkClub is a sustainability initiative funded by WidgetCo, a leader in wine cork recycling and upcycling. Mail in both natural and synthetic wine corks in shipments of 5 lbs (or 500 wine corks, or 800 cubic inches). For each natural wine cork received, WidgetCo donates to forest and ocean conservation non-profits, and synthetic wine corks are recycled. Ways to Reuse Hydrate Your Plants Break up a wine cork and add the pieces to the soil of your potted plants to reduce the rate of water evaporation during hot summer days.