recycle your contact lenses
You can now recycle your used contact lenses and packaging at Eyecare Plus Tamworth. This includes the plastic and foil blister packs, hard cases and even the contact lenses themselves!
All contact lens brands are accepted and the waste is recycled via the TerraCycle Bausch + Lomb recycling program.
We hope all our contact lens wearers will get on board with this and help reduce the estimated 115 million used contact lenses and blister packs sent to landfill every year in Australia.
how to recycle
Simply collect your contact lens waste at home (don’t be fancy – just re-use a bag or box) and drop it off at our Reception desk. You can do it regularly, or perhaps just when you pick up new lenses – it’s up to you. We’ll take care of sending it off in bulk lots to TerraCycle.
Note that the cardboard boxes your contact lenses are packed in are recyclable through your regular Council recycling.
What happens to the waste?
Once received by TerraCycle, the contact lenses and blister packs are separated by composition and cleaned.
The metal layers of the blister packs are recycled separately, while the contact lenses and plastic blister pack components are melted into plastic that can be remolded to make recycled products.
About the program
To care for our Planet, Bausch + Lomb have teamed up with TerraCycle to give a second life to all brands of contact lenses and contact lens blister packs. Every year, in Australia, an estimated 115 million used contact lenses and blister packs are sent to landfills. Participating in this recycling program will help protect our Planet and also raise money for a good cause.
Globally, millions of people are blind or vision impaired because they do not have access to the eye examinations and glasses they need. For every kilogram of used contact lenses and blister packs collected through the Bausch + Lomb recycling program, $1 will be donated to Optometry Giving Sight, a charity dedicated to help prevent blindness around the world. Participation in the Bausch + Lomb recycling program is entirely free and will help care for our planet whilst helping those in need.
