Recycled Wine Bottles...a Lesson from History!

With today's Blog we're going to address 'Wine Bottle Recycling" in a very different way. As we've done before, we're going to need to go into our wine cave and crank up our "Time Machine". Ready? Ok, let's go! With the door locked behind us and us securely belted into our time machine, set the dial to..."April 25, 1898, Tampa, Florida"!
In the blink of an eye and a burst of smoke, we've been transported back in time to a great moment in 'bottle recycling history'!
Before we get too wrapped up in our story, please remember that we're 'invisible'. We can see everything that's happening, but no one can see us and we can change nothing.
Stretched out before us is Tampa and the mouth of the great Hillsborough  River. Along its banks are countless campfires glowing in the early evening darkness. Milling around these campfires are soldiers awaiting to ship out the following day to a distant shore. We are witnessing the opening page of our 'forgotten war'. This is the first day of the shortest war in America's history (April 25, 1898 to August 12, 1898). A cavalry officer and future American president is here...'Teddy Roosevelt'. The words "Remember the Maine" are on every ones lips. A non-discript hill in Cuba will soon become famous..'San Juan Hill'. This is 'ground zero' for America's entry into the..."Spanish-American War"! It is, also, where our 'Wine Bottle Recycling' story begins!
Down among those tents of soldiers are recently dug trenches. Into these trenches are flung all kinds of refuse. Among this flung refuse is our...Wine Bottle (see photo).

Tomorrow, this trench will be covered over and forgotten. The soldiers will ship out. Some will never return. This forgotten war will slip into our history books. Tampa will grow and prosper and houses and streets will seal this trench and our wine bottle beneath our feet. For a hundred years, our wine bottle sleeps in the earth. All the organic refuse has long ago decomposed, but our wine bottle remains whole and pristine.
It's time to move into the future. Please turn the dial to the year..."2000". In another blink and puff of smoke, we are instantly transported to a modern Tampa. Those houses and streets that we saw being built are now being torn down. Debris is everywhere. Tampa is enduring...Urban Renewal.
For the first time in over a hundred years our long forgotten wine bottle is laying, exposed, to the warm Florida sunshine. A bulldozer has uncovered our forgotten trench and, miraculously, left our wine bottle unbroken. Look closely, that's me, picking up our wine bottle. Not a moment too soon. The bulldozer has returned and it's rolling over the exact spot where our wine bottle was, only seconds before, resting exposed. Dusting off the dirt and holding it up to the light, I notice that its unbroken. I'm amazed! It's a clear, "3-piece mold and corker type bottle".
Ok, it's time to return to our own time. With one last turn of the dial, we are back in the Wine Cave.
So, what does this history lesson have to do with 'Wine Bottle Recycling'? Well, just about everything!
But first, a bit of IMPORTANT wine bottle trivia. Even with all our modern community recycling programs, over 70% of our used glass wine bottles are 'still' going to our landfills (per the EPA)! This is totally unacceptable and a complete waste of a resource. Glass wine bottles are "Recyclable and Reusable"...forever!! They can be cleaned, sanitized, refilled, re-purposed, etc., for infinity. We, at Bunker Hill Vineyard and Winery use "ONLY" 100% recycled wine bottles!

They are locally sourced (from restaurants and individuals) and were, all, destined for our local landfill. At every opportunity, we ask that wine bottles be returned to us for recycling and reuse. Does your current winery use ONLY 100% recycled wine bottles? If they don't, you should suggest that they start immediately!
Walking over to our Wine Cave gondola, you will notice a beautiful wine bottle filled with our "Country Cat" rose' wine. Go ahead, pick up the bottle and look at it. Hold it up to the light. That gorgeous wine is our 2009 vintage. Please, look closely at the bottle. Do you see those bubbles in the glass? Did you notice that it was clear glass and made with a 3-piece mold? Ah...you guessed it! It's that very same bottle that we saw being tossed into that trench in Tampa, over a century ago! Against all odds, it's sitting here, today, holding a beautiful Florida wine. After all these years, it is 'Still' perfectly functional! It's doing what wine bottles are intended to do...store and age wines for us to enjoy!
So, why are we throwing 'today's modern wine bottles into our landfills?
For whatever the reasons, let's pledge, today, to 'bypass' the landfill and 'directly recycle' our modern wine bottles! Your Bunker Hill Vineyard and Winery is committed to using "ONLY" 100% recycled wine bottles. With your help, we can insure that no more empty wine bottles enter the landfills in Manatee County Florida or in any other landfill in America!
Remember, change "NEVER" starts at the top...it "ALWAYS" starts at the bottom...with..."You and Me"!
Comments and suggestions are "Always" welcome!

'Salute and Happy Days'