Reduce, Reuse, Recycle: 4 Sustainable Considerations to Make Before Tossing Out Those Old Glasses

Wearing glasses continues to be a great way for someone to see clearly. While a quality set of glasses can last for a long time, there may come a time when you need to get a new set and get rid of an old one. This could be due to changes in prescription, damage to the frame or lens, or simply changes in style preferences. When you want to get rid of old eyewear, it would be a good idea to avoid simply throwing them out. Instead, you should look for sustainable alternatives to throwing away old glasses. There are various ways to get rid of old glasses without adding to waste. 

Have Glasses Fitted With New Lenses

One way to be sustainable when getting new glasses is to have the old frames fitted with new lenses. If your eyes have changed and you need a new prescription, you do not have to get a new frame. Instead, you can get new lenses placed into your old glasses. This could help you avoid throwing out old frames and will also save you some money.

Donate Glasses

Another option is to donate your old glasses. There are always people in need that could use a new set of glasses to see clearly. You can check with your optometrist for where you can donate prescription glasses in your area. Even if they are not a great match for someone’s prescription, having a free set of frames will help to cut their costs. 

Sell the Glasses

If you want to get rid of an old set of glasses and need to offset the cost of a new set, another option is to sell your glasses. There is often an active market of people that are looking for eyewear. If you have a common prescription, there will likely be many people in your area that would like to purchase your glasses. This can be a good way to help the environment while also putting some extra money in your pocket. 

Bring Old Glasses to Optometrist

You also can get rid of your old glasses by bringing them to a local optometrist. The optometrist will likely know of charities all over the globe that take and repurpose old eyewear. If that is not an option, they could help you find a recycling service that will be able to properly recycle the glass and metal that is used to make your old set of eyewear. 

If you do need to get a new set of glasses, you will need to decide how to handle your old set. While you may want to simply throw away the old glasses, there are different ways to recycle old and unused eyewear that you should consider. Not only will these options be better for the environment, but you could help others as well. 

Categorised in: Eyewear