Set to launch on 7 October, Waitrose said it is the first major UK supermarket to announce such a measure.
Individual collection points will be set up in Salisbury, followed by Saltash, Lymington, Bath, Godalming, Truro and Maidenhead once the scheme relaunches in November.
Customers will be encouraged to deposit their used natural corks for recycling via cork processing group Amorim. Recycled natural cork can be repurposed into new applications such as mulch, placemats, coasters, flooring and shoes.
Natural corks tend to lighter, spongier and slightly less smooth than synthetic corks which are used by some wine manufacturers.
Once the trial is completed, Waitrose will use the key learnings to determine how best to rollout the scheme more widely.
Employing more than 45,000 members of staff, Waitrose currently operates 314 stores across the UK.
Learning to reduce unnecessary waste
“I’m excited to kick off this trial and learn about how we can help reduce unnecessary waste of such a great material,” said Marija Rompani, director of ethics and sustainability at John Lewis Partnership.
“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.”
Meanwhile, Waitrose global bulk wine sourcing manager Barry Dick added: “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.”
In other news, Kellanova has announced plans to invest £75m into its cereal production facility in Wrexham.
