The "Un-Recyclables": How to Recycle Your Eye Care Waste

Did you know that standard curbside recycling bins aren't designed to handle small items like contact lenses or blister packs? Because of their size and specialized plastic, these materials often slip through sorting machines and end up in our landfills—or worse, our Florida waterways.

Through our nearly 10-year partnership with Bausch + Lomb ONE by ONE and TerraCycle, we’ve created a permanent solution. Here is everything you need to know about recycling your eye care waste at our office.

What Can You Recycle?

The best part of our program? You don't have to sort by brand. Whether you use Bausch + Lomb, Alcon, or any other manufacturer, we accept them all. Here is exactly what you can bring into our office:

• Contact Lenses: All used soft contact lenses.

• Blister Packs: The plastic "pods" that hold your daily or monthly lenses.

• Top Foils: Those small silver foil covers you peel back every morning.

• Contact Lens Cases: Your old plastic storage cases.

• Solution Bottles & Caps (4 oz or smaller): Small travel-sized bottles and their caps.

• Solution Bottle Caps (10 oz or larger): The cap only.

• Single-Use Eye Drops: Individual plastic vials from artificial tears or medicinal drops.

• Old Eyewear: We also collect pre-owned glasses and sunglasses (frames and lenses) to be refurbished for medical mission trips.

💡 Why the "Cap Only" rule for large bottles?

Standard recycling facilities use large screens to sort items. Small items—like contact lenses, foils, and bottle caps—fall through the gaps and end up in the trash. By bringing these specific "small-scale" plastics to our ONE by ONE hub, you ensure they are captured and transformed into new products like park benches and playground equipment.

How It Works: A 3-Step Guide

Step 1: Collect Set up a small "recycling station" at home. A simple jar or reusable bag under your bathroom sink works perfectly.

Step 2: Dry Before tossing them in your jar, make sure your blister packs are empty and dry. This ensures the materials can be processed efficiently once they reach the recycling facility.

Step 3: Drop Off The next time you’re near our office or coming in for an exam, bring your collection with you! Our official recycling bin is located at the front desk. You don’t even need an appointment to drop them off.

Where Does the Waste Go?

Once our bin is full, we ship the materials to TerraCycle, where they are separated and melted into plastic pellets. These pellets are then used to manufacture recycled products like playground equipment, park benches, and garden beds.

Small Habits, Global Impact

Our mission goes beyond just cleaning up the environment. For every 10 pounds of waste we ship, a donation is made to Optometry Giving Sight. This global initiative works to reduce unnecessary blindness and vision impairment by providing eye exams and glasses to underserved communities worldwide.

Sustainability is a team effort. By making this one small change to your morning routine, you’re helping us keep Florida’s springs clear and helping the world see a little better.

Have questions about what we accept? Stop by our booth at Lake Eola on Saturday April 25th!

In good health,