Wine-ding Down Our Cork Collection

RETI Center Cork Collection Program – Transition FAQ

We wanted to let you, our cork community, know that we are winding down and putting on hold our collection of corks because we are overflowing—with more than enough to build our current Floating Garden requests.

Pausing the program allows us to focus resources on new restoration, education, and community initiatives while exploring the next phase of our materials reuse work.

We couldn’t build the Floating Gardens for our Water Program without your support through donating and dropping off corks, and we are so grateful for the time and effort you have put into making RETI Center Floating Gardens a reality.  Thank you!!

  • No. This is a pause, not a shutdown.

    We may reopen cork collection in the future once we establish new fabrication needs, new garden designs, or expanded project capacity.

  • At this time, we are no longer accepting new cork drop-offs after the final scheduled pickup period.

    If you have corks saved, we recommend emailing our volunteer coordinators to complete a final drop-off during this transition window.

    We are scheduling final cork pickups until February 13, 2026.

  • If the final drop-off window has passed, we encourage you to:

    • Visit Whole Foods (Upper West Side Wine Store) to drop-off corks free of charge.

    • Compost them: Corks are compostable! You can compost corks in your brown curbside compost bins or chop them up if you have your own compost pile.

    • Hold on to them: When we resume collecting, we will be in touch!

  • Corks are lightweight, water-resistant, and buoyant—making them a perfect component for RETI Center’s Floating Gardens. They help us create floating habitat structures that support biodiversity, improve water quality, bring nature back to urban waterfronts and support circularity.

    Visit our Floating Gardens page to learn more!

  • Every cork will be used!

    They will continue to be integrated into Floating Gardens, community projects, and education activities. Nothing will be wasted.

  • Over the years, volunteers across NYC and beyond contributed hundreds of thousands of corks. This has made our gardens more buoyant, more durable, and more sustainable.

  • Yes! Please visit our to volunteer page to learn more or sign up our volunteer email list here!

  • Absolutely. You can:

    Every action helps grow community-powered climate solutions.

  • Yes. All cork donors and volunteers will be notified directly if we reopen the program, launch new material reuse initiatives, or begin new Floating Garden construction phases.

  • Feel free to reach out at volunteer@reticenter.org with any questions about the transition or upcoming volunteer opportunities.