Breathe a second life into your cork wine stoppers by dropping them at one of LIGA's drop-off points, they will be sent to LIGA - free of charge - using our eco recycling bags and to Portugal to be recycled.
Around 13 billion cork stoppers are produced and thrown out each year. That's enough to circle the globe 10 times. However, only about 1% of cork stoppers are actually recycled. We want to do our bit to change that.
We’ve introduced this initiative as part of a larger global effort to reduce waste and promote a circular economy. Anyone can buy a bottle of wine with a cork wine stopper, enjoy it, and save the cork wine stopper. Then bring the cork wine stoppers to their nearest LIGA Cork Recycling Partner. We supply cork recycling bins to a number of stockists around the UK.
The Corks are returned to Portugal, where they are recycled, and the granules are used to make products such as insulation and flooring.
Your involvement will directly contribute to the reforestation and restoration of natural habitats, ensuring a greener and healthier world for future generations. In recent years, the cork harvest yields have been down. Lack of water impacts the quality and thickness of the bark that can be harvested, and we all know that we have experienced hotter, drier summers. This is why recycling is so important, and one of the reasons it is important to plant more cork oak trees.
Cork recycling bins look great in-store - prompting customers who visit to recycle their corks. We at LIGA fund the scheme, and we do not receive any monetary value for the cork. We do it because it's the right thing to do.
You can see our map of stockists and recycling bins here.
The recycled corks are used in making products like insulation and flooring.
"we really enjoy having our cork recycling bin in store - its a real talking point and customers love bringing in their corks. We have connected with local restaurants and bars who supply us with corks."
- Jennie Elderkin, Founder
