Bausch + Lomb Corporation announced its exclusive ONE by ONE Recycling and Biotrue Eye Care Recycling programs have collected a total of 94,119,275 units*, or 569,743 pounds, of used contact lenses, eye care and lens care materials in the United States. That’s equivalent to the weight of roughly 690 polar bears1.
“Our unique recycling programs continue to be popular with environmentally conscious eye care professionals, patients and consumers,” said Amy Butler, vice president, Global Environment, Health, Safety, and Sustainability, Bausch + Lomb. “The collective success of these programs proves that simple acts can have a significant impact and create lasting habits.”
Due to their small size and the type of plastic used to manufacture them, contact lenses, eye care and lens care materials aren’t efficiently processed in standard recycling facilities and may inadvertently 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 and eventually impact the human food supply.
“Our practice has relied on Bausch + Lomb’s ONE by ONE Recycling and Biotrue Eye Care Recycling programs for years,” said Jennifer Tsai, OD, LINE OF SIGHT, New York. “It’s rewarding to be a part of an initiative that aligns with our practice’s focus on sustainability.”
Bausch + Lomb has a similar contact lens recycling program in Canada called Every Contact Counts. All three programs are made possible through a collaboration with TerraCycle, a world leader in the collection and recycling of hard-to-recycle waste.
Bausch + Lomb is committed to implementing, maintaining and enhancing sustainable business practices that support eye care professionals, patients, consumers, employees and communities around the world. Its impact initiatives are measured against several key environmental metrics called “FEWW” – fuel, energy, water and waste. Each Bausch + Lomb facility has annualised goals against these metrics to harness new opportunities and evolve in a sustainable way as it continues its mission of helping people see better to live better. Visit www.bausch.com/impact for more information.
*Estimated based on weight.
References
- https://a-z-animals.com/blog/the-largest-polar-bear-weighted-as-much-a-fishing-boat-3-reasons-it-grew-so-large/
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