Put a cork in it

When I peruse the recycling bins along my street on Monday mornings, I often see the necks of emptied wine bottles sticking up over the rim. But whither the corks? Can corks be recycled? Should they be? Certainly, they do add up, and they don't biodegrade that fast.

The San Francisco Chronicle's wine blog, The Cellarist, takes a look at these questions in an interesting piece prompted by Whole Foods recent announcement of a cork collection program. Ultimately, author Jon Bonné seems to conclude that while there are currently ways to recycle corks, it may not be worth the trouble at this point.

Of course, many wine connoisseurs have been recycling corks at home for years, collecting them and using them to make trivets or bulletin boards. My aunt and uncle have a collection of corks so vast, they were able to cover the ceiling of their wine room with it, which gives them something to look at when they're passed out on the floor.