Bausch + Lomb Recycling Program Diverts 84.3M Units of Contact Lens Waste From Landfills

Bausch + Lomb Corporation is doing its part to appease Mother Nature. 

The company’s ONE by ONE and Biotrue Eye Care Recycling programs have collected 84,343,540 units—or 510,116 pounds—of used contact lenses, eye care and lens care materials in the United States. All those used lenses and materials weigh more than the Statue of Liberty.¹
 
“Eye care professionals, patients and consumers have helped us collect hundreds of millions of these used materials through our recycling programs over the years, making a positive impact in the world. In conjunction with our other sustainable business practices, we continue to do all we can to help reduce waste and promote environmental responsibility throughout our organization,” said Amy Butler, vice president of Global Environment, Health, Safety and Sustainability at Bausch + Lomb.
 
Contact lenses, eye care and lens care materials are typically not processed in standard recycling facilities due to their small size and the type of plastic used to manufacture them. Consequently, these materials are frequently diverted to landfills or make their way to waterways, where they break down into microplastics and threaten aquatic animals and their environments. In the United States, an estimated six to 10 metric tons of contact lens packaging waste ends up in wastewater each year. Eye health packaging materials collected through the Bausch + Lomb recycling programs are used to create various post-consumer products like picnic tables and benches.
 
“The Bausch + Lomb recycling programs are an important part of our practice’s efforts to reduce waste and practice sustainability,” said Jennifer Tsai, O.D., with LINE OF SIGHT, New York. “It’s gratifying to know that the materials we collect in partnership with our patients are repurposed rather than ending up in a landfill or ocean.”
 
The ONE by ONE Recycling program has collected nearly 84 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 nearly 825,000 eye drop single dose units, lens cases, lens solution caps, as well as all Biotrue-branded eye drop bottles.² Bausch + Lomb has a contact lens recycling program in Canada that is similar to the U.S. initative. The Canadian program is called Every Contact Counts.
 
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. To participate, contact lens wearers can bring their used contact lenses and packaging to one of these practices, which collect the used materials in a custom recycling bin provided by Bausch + Lomb. Once the bin is filled, the eye care practice ships the materials using a Bausch + Lomb pre-paid shipping label to TerraCycle, where lenses are cleaned and melted into hard plastic pellets that can be used to make new recycled products. 
 
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 eye drop single dose units, lens cases and lens solution caps, as well as all Biotrue-branded eye drop 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. 
 
Bausch + Lomb is dedicated to protecting and enhancing the gift of sight for millions of people worldwide. Its portfolio of approximately 400 products includes contact lenses, lens care products, eye care products, ophthalmic pharmaceuticals, over-the-counter products and ophthalmic surgical devices and instruments. Founded in 1853, Bausch + Lomb has a global research and development, manufacturing, and commercial footprint with approximately 13,000 employees and a presence in nearly 100 countries. Bausch + Lomb is headquartered in Vaughan, Ontario, with corporate offices in Bridgewater, N.J. 

References
¹ All About Lady Liberty: The Statue of Liberty. Accessed on April 12, 2024. https://www.royalcoachman.com/blog/all-about-lady-liberty-the-statue-of-liberty/#:~:text=Total%20weight%20of%20the%20Statue,tons%20(or%20450%2C000%20pounds).
² Contact lens solution bottles are recyclable through standard recycling.