Bausch + Lomb Corporation announced its exclusive ONE by ONE and Biotrue Eye Care Recycling programs have collected a total of 76,645,000 units of used contact lenses, eye care and lens care materials in the United States, which is equivalent to the weight of 140 hippos.
“As a result of the contributions of eye care professionals, patients and consumers, these award-winning programs continue to help keep recyclable plastic and aluminum eye health packaging materials out of landfills and oceans,” said Amy Butler, vice president, Global Environment, Health, Safety and Sustainability, Bausch + Lomb.
Contact lenses, eye care and lens care materials aren’t typically processed in standard recycling facilities due to the small size and the type of plastic used to manufacture them. As a result, they can end up in landfills or waterways. In the United States, it is estimated that six to 10 metric tons of contact lenses end up in wastewater each year, which can pollute aquatic environments.
The ONE by ONE Recycling program has collected more than 76 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 more than 645,000 eye drop single dose units, lens cases, lens solution caps as well as all Biotrue-branded eye drops bottles.
About the ONE by ONE Recycling Program
The Bausch + Lomb ONE by ONE Recycling program is the first and only contact lens recycling program in the United States. This program collects used contact lenses, top foils and opened plastic blister packs from any brand and is available to contact lens wearers and eye care professionals. Nearly 14,000 eye care practices are registered as official recycling centers of the program. To participate, contact lens wearers can bring their used contact lenses and packaging to one of these practices, which collects the used materials in a custom recycling bin provided by Bausch + Lomb.
About the Biotrue Eye Care Recycling Program
The Bausch + Lomb Biotrue Eye Care Recycling program is the first and only eye care and lens care recycling program in the United States. This program allows consumers who participate to properly recycle all brands of their eye drop single dose units, lens cases and lens solution caps, as well as all Biotrue-branded eye drops bottles. Once consumers collect these items, they can be mailed to TerraCycle using a pre-paid shipping label. When the waste arrives at the TerraCycle facility, it is cleaned and melted into hard plastic pellets that can be used to make new recycled products.
