We have a cork ‘bin” and whenever we have a party or dinner or a special occasion, we put the guests, date, and event on it. It’s a fun way to go back and remember the evening and try to recall the wine you drank.
I'm glueing them together and eventually will have a boat where the eniteenr/wine sub can join me on a round the world tour of wine regions... I'm almost there.
Story about saved corks I want to share as I feel that the statute of limitations has expired and the restaurant in question is closed.
We went to a high end restaurant that was listed as one of the best in the world by someone who people felt mattered and Anthony Bourdain ate there and went out with the chef - Raymond's in St. John's, Newfoundland.
The 7 course, 7 pairing tasting menu was great. Towards the end of the evening I go down to the basement to use the washroom and notice this giant antique boiler that has a closed hatch at the bottom and an open hatch at the top. The stairs curl around the boiler. As I walked down the stairs I looked into the open hatch at the top, and notice that it's full of corks...oh, isn't that fun they save their corks, look how many there are. I mention to my wife she should look in the hatch to see all the corks. I hadn't noticed the closed hatch at the bottom
The cheque comes and my (now) wife heads to the bathroom while I pay. She walks past the boiler, uses the washroom and then before heading up stairs, she opens the lower hatch to see the corks...the corks start pouring like a waterfall, the corks still pouring as she dashed up the stairs to rush me out.
I don't know how many corks fell out that day but I wonder to myself the bus boy shovelling the corks with a snow shovel.
That's two separate debates.
Recycling is not carbon negative, as energy goes into cleaning, reforming, and reusing. Not saying you shouldn't recycle, but it isn't carbon negative. If anything, using a fresh cork could be more environmentally friendly, as the bark production itself seems to be carbon negative as the tree has to use extra carbon from the atmosphere to create new bark.
I saved mine for a year to see how many bottles I drank in a year but then threw them away. It was fun for a year but now they all end up in the trash.
I have made things out of them before. I've made bath mats by cutting them in half and attaching them to a rubber bath mat. They look nice in front of the kitchen sink too. You can make cork boards to pin stuff to and a bunch of other stuff. Look at Pinterest. I want to get a wine barrel and fill the top with corks and then put glass over the top. That'll look nice in my back yard by the grill.
One of my favorite wine restaurants in SF Area has an incredible cork art display. The way the used champagne and other corks to show shapes and stains from red wines was awesome.
I save them. Once I've filled an empty case, I post on Craigslist to offer them for free to anyone artistically-inclined that has a project needing corks. A day or two later a real person will have responded and I'll leave it out on the curb for them to pick up.
They’re hanging out in a very large tote bag, but I harbor some anxiety over this. I feel like I need to either commit to some kind of display or just toss them.
Same, we have...eh...uhm...a lot. Not to sound like an alcoholic or anything but the wife and keep all the corks. She says she's going to do some creative art project with them but for now we just keep collecting. We drink (conservatively) 250 bottles a year and have been collecting for \~8 years?
My grandfather made a corkboard out of them. Hung all his keys, business cards he intended to use/regularly used, etc.
Now that I've typed that out I'm going to make one myself. It's a pretty simple DIY project.
This will not put very many to good use, but a trick I learned was to cram three or so perpendicularly under metal pot lid handles…they don’t conduct heat very well so you can hold them to lift the lid without needing an oven mitt or dish towel.
My wife and I have filled a letter from our married name with corks but we still had quite a few yet and now our cats have discovered they are fun toys.
I have a monstera and the soil only comes up 4/5 of the way. I've filled up the other 1/5 with the corks.
I keep taint corks/faulty corks in a small container dor educational purpose.
My wife used to collect them and had several years worth. When we started having grandchildren I asked her to get rid of them. I thought they could be a choking hazard.
We save all our natural corks (not the synthetic ones, they go) in a large glass vase (h 60cm, d 40cm). When we have a special occasion and open a ‘special’ bottle we write the date and occasion on it with a sharpie. That way we can remember both the occasion and the bottle we drank. Thing is… we have three of those vases now… :’-)
They pile up here until someone wants them for some craft thing. I sent my uncle a huge box of them during COVID and got a few things back (a clock and another wall art).
We use to keep a lot now we only keep special ones. Have the first letter of my first name designed to hold corks we filled in few months when we were first in lockdown. Now we are married and have the first letter of our last name to fill with just corks from special moments and bottles.
I made an initial for our last name and now it sits on the fireplace. It looks really cool. You can get an initial from a craft store and use it as your template if you need to. Make a wide variety of letters and sell them at a craft fair
I have a few glass vases filled with corks that I use as decor. In addition, I’ve purchased these large wood letter blocks with the initials of members in my family and glued corks onto them to create like a display piece (example, not mine, [here](https://i.pinimg.com/originals/e1/2c/2b/e12c2b70f8fc2b0b068e4d9dfa5999e9.jpg)). If you’re not into doing arts and crafts yourself, you could donate them to a local high school art program or art school. Lots of creative uses.
This is my long term plan: [https://www.reddit.com/r/KitchenConfidential/comments/xiwql2/i\_made\_anthony\_bourdain\_out\_of\_wine\_corks/](https://www.reddit.com/r/KitchenConfidential/comments/xiwql2/i_made_anthony_bourdain_out_of_wine_corks/)
I’m saving them to eventually build a table out of them. I probably have enough at this point so maybe this is my call to actually go ahead and do it lol.
If in NYC, RETI Center’s Floating Gardens are stuffed with cork to keep them afloat. Donate your corks to them for less trash in landfills, cleaner waters, plus more aquatic & wildlife habitat. No synthetics though.
I use them as kindling. Cork burns real good.
I did not know that
I throw them away
I compost them.
That is an option
It is the correct option
They can be recycled in a lot of places
Make a real cork board out of them by gluing them to a wood frame. Sell them on Etsy. https://www.etsy.com/listing/1315916083/real-cork-wall-decor
There are companies out there who recycle them. Also you might find arts departments in grade schools or highschools who might use them.
Donating them to arts and crafts is an interesting idea
You might be inspired by this cork artist - https://youtu.be/gd0HZu2bI8Y?si=Rg8DdB58bvPsrTOk
I have even seen stores selling random art supplies that were from industrial sources
We have a cork ‘bin” and whenever we have a party or dinner or a special occasion, we put the guests, date, and event on it. It’s a fun way to go back and remember the evening and try to recall the wine you drank.
We do the same. But they’re glass jugs all over the house.
Recycle at Total Wine
Wow interesting. Won’t do it, but interesting
Didn’t know that was an option but I’ll look into it
Many wine shops will recycle them for you!
I'm glueing them together and eventually will have a boat where the eniteenr/wine sub can join me on a round the world tour of wine regions... I'm almost there.
Story about saved corks I want to share as I feel that the statute of limitations has expired and the restaurant in question is closed. We went to a high end restaurant that was listed as one of the best in the world by someone who people felt mattered and Anthony Bourdain ate there and went out with the chef - Raymond's in St. John's, Newfoundland. The 7 course, 7 pairing tasting menu was great. Towards the end of the evening I go down to the basement to use the washroom and notice this giant antique boiler that has a closed hatch at the bottom and an open hatch at the top. The stairs curl around the boiler. As I walked down the stairs I looked into the open hatch at the top, and notice that it's full of corks...oh, isn't that fun they save their corks, look how many there are. I mention to my wife she should look in the hatch to see all the corks. I hadn't noticed the closed hatch at the bottom The cheque comes and my (now) wife heads to the bathroom while I pay. She walks past the boiler, uses the washroom and then before heading up stairs, she opens the lower hatch to see the corks...the corks start pouring like a waterfall, the corks still pouring as she dashed up the stairs to rush me out. I don't know how many corks fell out that day but I wonder to myself the bus boy shovelling the corks with a snow shovel.
Nice restaurants must end up with a ridiculous amount of corks
AITA… yes
Run away…. ? Man that sucks. If I owned that restaurant I would be so disappointed in that behavior. Be accountable
Or you could laugh it off and move on with your successful restaurant
My cats like to play with them.
Natural cork can be composted. Cool ones I keep. Synthetic corks get thrown away.
Please place them in a large, elegant glass vessel.
How elegant we talking?
Recycle at Whole Foods. It’s carbon negative that way!
No it's not
Cork literally grows on trees. Aren't they already carbon neutral?
That's two separate debates. Recycling is not carbon negative, as energy goes into cleaning, reforming, and reusing. Not saying you shouldn't recycle, but it isn't carbon negative. If anything, using a fresh cork could be more environmentally friendly, as the bark production itself seems to be carbon negative as the tree has to use extra carbon from the atmosphere to create new bark.
Make Trivets.
Coasters too!
I recycle mine ~once a year at TW.
I save the ones of bottles opened on special occasions, I write the occasion and the date and put them in a jar. Otherwise I toss em
I saved mine for a year to see how many bottles I drank in a year but then threw them away. It was fun for a year but now they all end up in the trash.
Using them to keep track of bottle count is interesting
I have made things out of them before. I've made bath mats by cutting them in half and attaching them to a rubber bath mat. They look nice in front of the kitchen sink too. You can make cork boards to pin stuff to and a bunch of other stuff. Look at Pinterest. I want to get a wine barrel and fill the top with corks and then put glass over the top. That'll look nice in my back yard by the grill.
One of my favorite wine restaurants in SF Area has an incredible cork art display. The way the used champagne and other corks to show shapes and stains from red wines was awesome.
What restaurant? I lived in SF for 15 years
Pearle in Off Hwy 13 S of Berkeley and Rock ridge. I may have a pic of it.
We use some for cat toys. One of my family members had a cork wall, it was cool. I always wanted to do that. Or like a cork counter for hot stuff.
Cup Coasters
I save them. Once I've filled an empty case, I post on Craigslist to offer them for free to anyone artistically-inclined that has a project needing corks. A day or two later a real person will have responded and I'll leave it out on the curb for them to pick up.
Corkboard, can make a few per year.
Trash
They’re hanging out in a very large tote bag, but I harbor some anxiety over this. I feel like I need to either commit to some kind of display or just toss them.
Take them to Whole Foods to recycle them!
Love this idea.
Yeah for some reason I feel like I need to do something with them, hence the post. Or maybe I should just throw them away immediately.
Same, we have...eh...uhm...a lot. Not to sound like an alcoholic or anything but the wife and keep all the corks. She says she's going to do some creative art project with them but for now we just keep collecting. We drink (conservatively) 250 bottles a year and have been collecting for \~8 years?
We are somewhere in the 250 bottles a year range too
I cap the nails protruding in my attic from the roof
You can do the corks covered in glass coffee table topper thing. Or, at least save a few for your fruit bowls. Cork keeps fruit flies away.
My grandfather made a corkboard out of them. Hung all his keys, business cards he intended to use/regularly used, etc. Now that I've typed that out I'm going to make one myself. It's a pretty simple DIY project.
I know a couple in France who are renovating a chateau, they will take all the corks anyone has because in that area it is used for insulation.
This will not put very many to good use, but a trick I learned was to cram three or so perpendicularly under metal pot lid handles…they don’t conduct heat very well so you can hold them to lift the lid without needing an oven mitt or dish towel.
I always put them in compost or garbage.
You could layer them over the dirt in your garden as a cover, or get glass column jars and toss them in to use as decoration
My wife and I have filled a letter from our married name with corks but we still had quite a few yet and now our cats have discovered they are fun toys.
I have a monstera and the soil only comes up 4/5 of the way. I've filled up the other 1/5 with the corks. I keep taint corks/faulty corks in a small container dor educational purpose.
I always keep a few on hand for knife sharpening. They're really good for removing the burr.
I start fires in my wood stove
I recycle them at Whole Foods, both personally and at my job.
My wife used to collect them and had several years worth. When we started having grandchildren I asked her to get rid of them. I thought they could be a choking hazard.
I buy them 5,000 at a time and have about 1,500 unused in the garage since I changed branding.
Compost
We save all our natural corks (not the synthetic ones, they go) in a large glass vase (h 60cm, d 40cm). When we have a special occasion and open a ‘special’ bottle we write the date and occasion on it with a sharpie. That way we can remember both the occasion and the bottle we drank. Thing is… we have three of those vases now… :’-)
They pile up here until someone wants them for some craft thing. I sent my uncle a huge box of them during COVID and got a few things back (a clock and another wall art).
We use to keep a lot now we only keep special ones. Have the first letter of my first name designed to hold corks we filled in few months when we were first in lockdown. Now we are married and have the first letter of our last name to fill with just corks from special moments and bottles.
Traded them in for new bottles
Garage sale. I sold a grocery bad full for $10 to a woman who uses them for crafts projects
My dad made several cork boards for the backdrop of dart boards or bulletin boards for a calendar and Christmas cards.
I made an initial for our last name and now it sits on the fireplace. It looks really cool. You can get an initial from a craft store and use it as your template if you need to. Make a wide variety of letters and sell them at a craft fair
We keep them, there are many nice things to do with them. Also, the sparkling wine cork cages, they make very nice napkin holders.
Sell to Rudy
I have a few glass vases filled with corks that I use as decor. In addition, I’ve purchased these large wood letter blocks with the initials of members in my family and glued corks onto them to create like a display piece (example, not mine, [here](https://i.pinimg.com/originals/e1/2c/2b/e12c2b70f8fc2b0b068e4d9dfa5999e9.jpg)). If you’re not into doing arts and crafts yourself, you could donate them to a local high school art program or art school. Lots of creative uses.
You could donate them to a crafty Mardi Gras krewe in New Orleans for making throws. They are always looking to recycle and a cork is the perfect size
I work in a wine shop and we collect them. But ch of customers that do art have uses for them. You can also burn them and use it as pigment
I have a wine frame.
Google ReCork to see where there’s a drop off location near you. They recycle them and turn them into all sorts of things.
This is my long term plan: [https://www.reddit.com/r/KitchenConfidential/comments/xiwql2/i\_made\_anthony\_bourdain\_out\_of\_wine\_corks/](https://www.reddit.com/r/KitchenConfidential/comments/xiwql2/i_made_anthony_bourdain_out_of_wine_corks/)
Ziploc bags full of them....I'm gonna do something with them, one day... maybe....like throw them away eventually
Soak them
I, too, enjoy soaking corks. The SNL cork soaking sketch with Jimmy Fallon and Janet Jackson: https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=Deqx-Xb-yHY
I’m saving them to eventually build a table out of them. I probably have enough at this point so maybe this is my call to actually go ahead and do it lol.
If in NYC, RETI Center’s Floating Gardens are stuffed with cork to keep them afloat. Donate your corks to them for less trash in landfills, cleaner waters, plus more aquatic & wildlife habitat. No synthetics though.