When life gives you corks

So you've tried every way you can think of to reuse your wine corks, including some pointless and idiotic craft projects. Or maybe you're just not this clever and toss corks into the trash. Here's an alternative: Save up a sackful and drop it off at your nearest Whole Foods Market. This greenie store chain now has recycling containers for wine corks, which are ground up for making flooring and other products.

For some time now, the Napa Valley Wine Train has been donating garbage bags full of cast-off corks for recycling (they pour a lot of wine on the Wine Train), and the company received an award for its efforts last year from the California Integrated Waste Management Board. The fat from the train's food waste is also rendered and recycled. Altogether, approximately 71% of the train's garbage is diverted from landfills.