The corks were collected during the months of November, December and January in the municipalities of Cassà de la Selva and Palafrugell, the pilot sites chosen by the Catalan Cork Institute Foundation to test a cork cork collection system for recycling. The activity is part of the FUTURECORK forest bioeconomy project, which has the support of the Biodiversity Foundation of the Ministry for Ecological Transition and the Demographic Challenge (MITECO) within the framework of the Recovery, Transformation and Resilience Plan (PRTR), funded by the European Union – NextGenerationEU.

The pilot test was rolled out in around fifty supermarkets, hotels, specialist shops, businesses and educational centres in each of the municipalities, where citizens can deposit used caps in identifiable containers.

Currently, due to the impact and good reception, it has been expanded to other places and types of establishments that believe in the project.

 Results so far

• In Cassà de la Selva, 40.79 kg have been recovered, which is equivalent to 7,436 corks.
• In Palafrugell, 132.66 kg have been recovered, which is equivalent to 24,315 corks.
• In total there are 173.45 kg of cork stoppers which are equivalent to 31,750 cork stoppers.

This action will last throughout this year and will have as its final result a technical and economic report that includes the conclusions drawn in order to successfully implement an integrated cork management system at a state level.

Recovery process

Regarding the return of the pilot test to the municipalities, the cork stoppers that are recovered go through a verification process to ensure that there is no improper material. These recovered stoppers will be used to apply a pavement made from recycled stoppers in a children's playground, in the case of the municipality of Cassà de la Selva, and several groves, in Palafrugell.