Oregon Public Broadcasting

A cork recycling program that started in Oregon’s Willamette Valley is gaining traction in California. The pilot program is hoping to keep billions of corks out of the nation’s landfills. Correspondent Anna King reports.

A Portuguese cork making company, started the recycling program about a year and a half ago.

Willamette Valley Vineyards near Salem, Oregon, was the first to sign on. Now it’s becoming popular with many Napa Valley wineries, restaurants and even schools.

Grocery chain Whole Foods is getting into the act too, at least in California.

Roger Archey is with ReCORK America. He says the program is hoping to break even by selling different cork products.

Roger Archey: "We have flooring of course, shoe soles like your Birkenstocks for instance, fishing rod handles, ping pong rackets, of course the infamous trivet."

Archey sees lots of room for growth and a big environmental problem to solve. Worldwide, 13 billion corks are sold every year.