VAUGHAN, Ontario — Bausch + Lomb Corp. announced Monday its exclusive ONE by ONE Recycling and Biotrue Eye Care Recycling programs have collected a total of 103,169,500 units, or 625,026 pounds, of used contact lenses, eye care and lens care materials in the United States. That’s equivalent to the weight of approximately 600 concert grand pianos.
“These award-winning recycling programs continue to drive a positive environmental impact, offering eye care professionals, patients and consumers a way to properly recycle used eye health materials,” said Amy Butler, Vice President, Global Environment, Health, Safety and Sustainability, Bausch + Lomb.
Due to their small size and the type of plastic used to manufacture them, contact lenses, eye care and lens care materials are often inefficiently processed in standard recycling facilities and may inadvertently end up in landfills or waterways. In the U.S., it is estimated that six to 10 metric tons of contact lenses end up in wastewater each year, polluting aquatic environments and potentially impacting the human food supply.
“The ONE by ONE and Biotrue Eye Care Recycling programs allow my practice and patients to responsibly recycle eye health items—something that wasn’t possible until these programs became available," said Jennifer Tsai, OD, LINE OF SIGHT, New York. "We’re proud to collect these materials and contribute to a cleaner environment and healthier planet.”
The ONE by ONE Recycling program has collected over 101 million used contact lenses, blister packs and top foils since the program’s launch in November 2016. The Biotrue Eye Care Recycling program, which launched in April 2021, has collected over 1.3 million eye drop single dose units, lens cases and lens solution caps, as well as all Biotrue-branded eye drop bottles. Bausch + Lomb has a similar contact lens recycling program in Canada called Every Contact Counts.
