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stoutfellowThis is a thing which has been a minor irritant for... well, for longer than I want to think about.
I don't buy wine very often, but once in a while, for instance when I have some really tasty cheese, I get the urge. I drink the bottle, one small glass at a time, over, typically, a period of weeks; then I rinse it out, put the bottle into the recycling bin, and send it on its way.
Once, though, as I was worrying the cork out, it broke, and one largish piece dropped into the bottle. There wasn't much wine left, so I poured it off and drank it... which left me with a quandary. Somehow, it doesn't seem right to recycle a bottle with a piece of cork in it; but I haven't been able to remove the piece, either. The bottle (and cork) have sat on my counter, mocking me, ever since. I am resolved to put an end to this. I contemplate, somehow, burning the cork to ash (but how?), or pouring some mild acid in and dissolving it, or... but nothing seems all that practical.
The goal is to be able to put the bottle, empty and unbroken, into the recycling bin. Any suggestions?
I don't buy wine very often, but once in a while, for instance when I have some really tasty cheese, I get the urge. I drink the bottle, one small glass at a time, over, typically, a period of weeks; then I rinse it out, put the bottle into the recycling bin, and send it on its way.
Once, though, as I was worrying the cork out, it broke, and one largish piece dropped into the bottle. There wasn't much wine left, so I poured it off and drank it... which left me with a quandary. Somehow, it doesn't seem right to recycle a bottle with a piece of cork in it; but I haven't been able to remove the piece, either. The bottle (and cork) have sat on my counter, mocking me, ever since. I am resolved to put an end to this. I contemplate, somehow, burning the cork to ash (but how?), or pouring some mild acid in and dissolving it, or... but nothing seems all that practical.
The goal is to be able to put the bottle, empty and unbroken, into the recycling bin. Any suggestions?
no subject
Date: 2011-05-19 01:37 pm (UTC)Rinse it out by filling it a quarter full with water, swirling the bottle to get a whirlpool effect, and then quickly upending it over a sink to drain. The whirlpool is a more efficient draining method, and may well get out annoying floaty bits of cork.
Secondly, the bottles are crushed into cullet at the recycling plant, and magnets and vacuums are used to remove contaminants before processing. I don't think a small piece of cork would survive that process.
no subject
Date: 2011-05-19 02:06 pm (UTC)Ah, but you underestimate my procrastinative tendency!
The problem with the whirlpool idea is that the bit of cork is actually wider than the neck of the bottle; it would need to be compressed, shaved, or otherwise reduced first.
The second proposal is probably the most feasible.