Did you know that each year millions of vision materials end up in our landfills and water supply? Surprisingly there are about 2-3 billion contact lenses found in our waste/water supply yearly.1 This is because many people don’t know how to properly dispose of their vision materials. Most are unaware that contact lenses are not biodegradable, meaning they cannot break down easily when disposed of in the trash. Contact lenses are considered medical devices that are designed to withstand harsh conditions. Therefore, flushing your used lenses can block waterways, while throwing them in the garbage sends them right to the landfill.1
Rather than discarding your vision materials, recycling is a better, more earth-friendly option as it is essential to keeping waste out of our landfills and our water supply.
Recycling Contact Lenses
To practice proper disposal of your contact lenses so they don’t clog our waterways, here are some ways you can recycle your used contact lenses and/or contact lens materials:
- Utilize Specialty Recycling Services: You can visit Terracycle or Bausch & Lomb’s websites, where they allow you to ship eyecare products for them to handle recycling.
- Contact Your Eye Doctor: You can always contact your eye doctor to see if they will take your used lenses. In some cases, doctor’s offices participate in these recycling programs and will handle the recycling for you.
Recycling Eyeglasses
While it is important to recycle contact lenses, it is equally important to recycle eyeglasses. It is crucial to follow any of these methods to ensure eyeglasses do not end up in landfills:
- Contact Your Eye Doctor: In many cases, doctor’s offices participate in recycling programs and will handle the recycling for you. You can contact your eye doctor to see if they will take your used lenses.
- Donate to Charity: There are many local organizations such as the Salvation Army who will distribute them to people around the world in need of glasses. (If the glasses are damaged, such as broken frames or cracked lenses, they cannot be donated.)
- Reuse Accessories: Cases for glasses or contact lenses are perfect for storing jewelry, medications, and small accessories when traveling.
Recycling is important especially when it comes to vision materials, whether that be eyeglasses, contact lenses, solution bottles, or cases. So next time you are ready to purchase a new pair of eyeglasses or contact lenses, make sure to properly dispose of your old vision materials to help reduce plastic waste.
Sources:
1: https://www.allaboutvision.com/contact-lenses/recycle/