Everything you need to know about reusing and recycling eye glasses
How to recycle eye glasses
How to donate eye glasses for reuse
What happens to them?
How to recycle eye glasses
Glasses, including spectacles, reading glasses and sunglasses, should never be put in your recycling bin at home. Fortunately, there are both reuse and recycling options available, so your old glasses can have a second life.
Glasses in good condition
If your glasses are in good condition, you can donate them to your local charity shop such as Salvos and Red Cross. You can also donate them to the reuse programs listed on this page (scroll down). This will ensure the glasses are reused, keeping them in use for as long as possible, which is a far better environmental outcome than recycling them.
Glasses in poor condition
Eyeglasses and spectacles that are in poor condition, as well as contact lenses, can be recycled through Opticycle. Drop them off at your local Specsavers store or use the store locator on their website to find a drop-off point near you. Opticycle will recycle the lenses and the frame.
How to donate eye glasses for reuse
Lions Recycle for Sight Australia
As part of the Lions Clubs International Worldwide Eyeglass Recycling Program, you can drop off or mail your unwanted glasses, spectacles, hearing aids and unused contact lenses to Lions Club to be distributed to those in need in Australia and abroad.
Lions has partnered with Specsavers and HCF Eyecare to provide Australians around the country with drop-off points. Visit your local store to drop off your unwanted glasses (call in advance to check they have a collection box).
Alternatively, you can mail them to Lions (please remove the glasses from any cases and pop them in a padded bag or bubble wrap): Reply Paid 3021, Lions Recycle for Sight, PO Box 3021, Clontarf MDC, Qld, 4019
Reuse programs through optometrists
The following optometrists accept donations of spectacles for reuse. If you know of any others that accept donations, please email us at recycling@planetark.org
Please note, it's important to ensure the donated glasses are in good working order, without scratched lenses or damage to the frames.
East Lakes Eye Care
Eastlakes Mall, Evans Avenue, Eastlakes, NSW, 2018
Phone: (02) 9667 3545
Email: eastlakeseyecare@gmail.com
Website: www.eastlakeseyecare.com.au
Noble Optical
1A Leonard Avenue, Noble Park, Victoria, 3174
Phone: (03) 9547 5711
What happens to them?
Reuse
Glasses collected through the reuse/donation programs are distributed worldwide to communities in need. In some of these communities, an eye exam can cost a month's wages. Consequently, poor eyesight often goes untreated, leading to further complications. The simple donation of unwanted glasses can make a huge difference to someone living in less fortunate circumstances.
Recycling
Glasses and lenses collected for recycling by Opticycle are transported to their processing facility where they are sorted based on their core material composition. Lenses are then removed from the frames before they are dismantled and separated into different materials such as metal and plastic. The materials are then passed on to local companies as raw materials to be used in the manufacture of new products.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can eyeglasses be recycled?
Do not put eye glasses in your household recycling bin. If they’re in good condition, they can be donated for reuse by communities in need (this includes sunglasses). You can send your old eye glasses into Lions Recycle for Sight Australia. Your glasses will be refurbished and donated to people in need within Australia and overseas. The program also accepts hearing aids and unused contact lenses. Most Specsavers stores and HCF branches have collection boxes as part of the Lions Recycle for Sight Australia program. You can also check with your local Optometrist to see if they run a collection program.
If they are in poor condition, they can be recycled through Opticycle by dropping them off at your closest Specsavers store.
What are glasses made of?
Although eyeglasses were traditionally made with glass lenses, most sight and reading glasses now consist of high-tech plastic lenses within a plastic, metal, or combination frame.
Your eyeglasses cannot be recycled via your household recycling bin. However, you can drop them off at designated collection points so they can be refurbished and distributed to those in need, both within Australia and overseas (see details above).
Can plastic glasses be recycled?
Plastic eyeglasses, including sunglasses, cannot be placed in your household recycling bin. However, you can donate them to Lions Recycle for Sight Australia so they can be refurbished and distributed to those in need.
Can you put glasses in the recycling bin?
Eyeglasses such as reading glasses and spectacles should not be put in your recycling bin at home. Use the information on this page to find a recycling or reuse option for eyeglasses.
Drinking glasses should also not be put in your recycling bin at home. This is because drinking glasses are generally made from toughened glass which melts at a higher temperature than glass used to make bottles and jars. Find out more about glass recycling including what types of glass items should not be put in your recycling bin.
Can I recycle old glasses cases?
No, old glasses cases should not be put I your recycling bin at home. They should be put in your garbage bin.
