Bausch + Lomb collects more than 510,000 pounds of used eye care materials for recycling
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Key takeaways:
- Bausch + Lomb has collected 510,116 pounds of used eye care materials through its recycling programs.
- Contact lenses and other eye care products are typically not processed in standard recycling facilities.
Bausch + Lomb has collected 84,343,540 million units, or 510,116 pounds, of used contact lenses, eye care and lens materials through its One by One and Biotrue Eye Care recycling programs, the company announced in a press release.
“Eye care professionals, patients and consumers have helped us collect hundreds of millions of these used materials through our recycling programs over the years, making a positive impact in the world,” Amy Butler, Bausch + Lomb’s vice president of global environment, health, safety and sustainability, said in the release. “In conjunction with our other sustainable business practices, we continue to do all we can to help reduce waste and promote environmental responsibility throughout our organization.”
According to the release, eye care and lens care materials are not usually processed in standard recycling facilities and are frequently diverted to landfills or reach waterways. An estimated 6 to 10 metric tons of contact lens packaging waste end up in wastewater each year in the U.S.
The One by One recycling program, established in November 2016, has collected nearly 84 million used contact lenses, top foils and blister packs, while the Biotrue Eye Care recycling program has collected more than 825,000 eye drop single dose units, lens cases, lens solution caps and Biotrue-branded bottles since its launch in April 2021.
“The Bausch + Lomb recycling programs are an important part of our practice’s efforts to reduce waste and practice sustainability,” Jennifer Tsai, OD, from Line of Sight in New York, said in the release. “It’s gratifying to know that the materials we collect in partnership with our patients are repurposed rather than ending up in a landfill or ocean.”
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