Waitrose announced cork recycling scheme

From next week, Waitrose will trial cork recycling in seven stores across the UK. 

Individual collection points will be set up in Waitrose Salisbury, followed by Saltash, Lymington, Bath, Godalming, Truro and Maidenhead once it relaunches in November. 

The retailer encourages its customers to deposit their used natural corks for recycling via Amorim, the largest cork processing group in the world.   

Barry Dick, MW and 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.” 

Aim to reduce unnecessary waste 

Waitrose said that recycled natural cork can be repurposed into countless new applications, such as mulch, great for healthy soil, as well as household items such as placemats, coasters, flooring or even shoes.  

Customers can tell the difference between natural and synthetic cork simply by the touch, natural cork tends to be lighter, spongier and slightly less smooth.  

Waitrose added that the store will use learnings from the trial to determine how best to roll it out more widely, with hopes of exploring innovative applications of recycled cork in future propositions. 

The move highlights the partnership’s focus on providing a brilliant retail experience for customers, as well as forming an important part of our overall circular economy strategy, the company added. 

Marija Rompani, director of ethics and sustainability at John Lewis Partnership concluded: “I’m excited to kick off this trial and learn about how we can help reduce unnecessary waste of such a great material.  

“We’re always looking for ways to reduce waste and keep materials in circulation as a crucial element of our ethics and sustainability commitments, and this trial will add another layer to the work we have across the partnership.” 

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