RECYCLING YOUR CONTACT LENS PACKAGING

RECYCLING YOUR CONTACT LENS PACKAGING

For those of us with less than perfect vision, disposable contact lenses are very common in our daily life – whether for work, sports, or simply looking good. Unfortunately, they do create additional plastic waste to our environment, and they are also harmful to the environment when they are flushed down the sink or toilet.

 

You CAN recycle contact lens-related waste including:

  • Cardboard box packaging
  • Opened plastic blister packs
  • Plastic solution bottles and cases

 

The following CANNOT be recycled:

  • Blister foil – The top foil cannot be recycled and has to be removed prior to recycling plastic blister packs. Discard them as waste.
  • Used contact lenses – The very small size of the actual contact lenses makes them unsuitable for recycling plants to process them.

 

How best to recycle the plastic blisters

 

  1. Have a used plastic bottle or a clean food takeaway container (ensure they have the PP5 logo )
  2. Place your used blister into the bottle and drop them off the recycling bin when full

 

The reason many plastic blister packs end up in landfills is because the pieces are too small to be sorted properly at recycling plants.

Hence, fill up bottles/containers with them before recycling.

 

Do

  • Recycle your blister packs, cardboard packaging, cases
  • Use PET or PP5 plastic containers to recycle your blisters

 

Don’t

  • Throw your used contact lens into the sink or toilet
  • Use non-recyclable plastic or material to collect your blister packs
  • Attempt to recycle the blister foil

 

EYEDEALOGY RECYCLING PROGRAM: Bring in your containers of recycled blister packs* and we will offer you a Contact Lens Fitting session plus a pair of Trial Lens free.

 

*they have to be either fully filled plastic PET/PP5 bottles or containers. We reserve the right to reject the containers if they do not meet recycling requirements.