Cork by cork we are sowing the collection in Maia and Vila do Conde with more than 1500 trees planted

Having become aware of the need to recycle cork stoppers, restaurants, hotels, cafés and bakeries in their municipalities Maia Municipality, Maiambiente and Vila do Conde Municipality made their important contribution to the project Rolha a Rolha Semeie a Recolha (Cork by cork sow the collection), delivering 360 kg of cork stoppers for recycling, converting it into the plantation of 1,541 trees.

So far, in the municipality of Maia, 75 establishments have participated in the project, collecting around 137 kg of cork stoppers, which have been converted into around 550 trees planted in an area of around 1 ha in this Municipality.

In the municipality of Vila do Conde, thanks to the contribution of 55 participating establishments, 223 kg of cork stoppers were collected, which were converted into 991 native trees planted in an area of around 1.5 ha.

Thus, on 17 and 27 February, in Maia and Vila do Conde respectively, focusing on the recovery of biodiversity and the reestablishment of ecological functions, native trees were planted, such as Fraxinus angustifolia (ash tree), Arbutus unedo (strawberry tree), Laurus nobilis (laurel tree), Celtis australis (mediterranean hackberry) and cypresses (Cupressus lusitanica and Cupressus sempervirens), among others, involving and mobilizing the community, showing a civic and ecological attitude in promoting Nature conservation.

In practical terms, the planting in Maia represents the production of 3 tonnes of oxygen, allowing about 3422 people to breathe the whole day, because it stores about a tonne of carbon equivalent, which equals the cooling effect of 5 air conditioners running for 458 days. In the case of Vila do Conde, the 991 trees planted have the potential to produce about 6 tonnes of oxygen, enabling 6160 people to breathe the whole day, as it stores 2 tonnes of carbon, representing, in practical terms, about 13 miles of travel of a commercial flight, or even the cooling of 5 air conditioners for 825 days! This oxygen production and CO2eq retention data represents the initial potential of this plantation.

The project, developed by Quercus, LIPOR and its Associated Municipalities with the purpose of encouraging cork recycling, aims at contributing to reforestation in Portugal, since for every 50 cork stoppers collected, a native tree will be planted, in partnership with BA Vidro, Amorim and Extruplás.

The creation of this new cork stopper collection channel is part of Green Cork (a project created in 2008 by Quercus in partnership with Corticeira Amorim and Continente, which has already enabled the collection of around 98 million cork stoppers) enabling its recycling.

This pilot project aims to promote cork recycling, contribute to reforestation in Portugal and will enable participating establishments and their customers to contribute to the fight against climate change by reducing CO2eq emissions from cork stoppers and the development of the circular economy.

Find out more at https://www.greencork.org/rolha-a-rolha-semeie-a-recolha/